CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Plough Sunday

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, whether he has made an assessment of the popularity of Plough Sunday celebrations; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: Plough Sunday is not officially part of the Church of England Liturgical Calendar but in many rural communities it is a significant local event. Its popularity has been growing over the last decade as churches assist in making links between food producers and consumers and reach out to the farming community.
	Plough services are increasingly part of church life in cities, particularly in cathedrals, where large scale plough services take place and attract many hundreds of people from a wide background, often to raise money for Farming Help Charities. Plough services are also used to encourage rural church congregations and communities to think about food issues and to provide opportunities training for rural clergy.
	Plough Sunday, marked on the First Sunday of Epiphany, was traditionally the start of the new farming year. Before the first working day after the 12 days of Christmas the plough, horses and seeds would be blessed and prayers offered for successful cultivation.

EDUCATION

Academies: Brighton and Hove

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of secondary schools (a) are and (b) are about to become academies in (i) Brighton and Hove and (ii) the Brighton Kemptown constituency.

Elizabeth Truss: In Brighton and Hove, there are two open secondary academies, representing 22% of secondary schools. In Brighton Kemptown constituency, there is one open secondary academy, representing 33% of secondary schools. No other secondary schools in either area are currently working towards academy status.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque.

Elizabeth Truss: The average cost to the Department for processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period was £4. All payments are made electronically.

Children: Abuse

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to introduce compulsory education on what constitutes sexual abuse for children under 13 years old.

Elizabeth Truss: Personal safety and recognising and reducing risk can be taught as part of non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. We are reviewing PSHE education to look at how schools can be supported to improve the quality of PSHE teaching, including giving teachers the flexibility to use their judgement about how best to deliver it.
	The review will only propose making new elements of PSHE education compulsory if there is clear evidence of the benefit to pupils of doing so and if, within the national curriculum review's consideration of the overall statutory burden on schools, it is practicable to do so.

Children: Day Care

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals for a minimum staff:child ratio for children with special educational needs attending formal childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 8 November 2012
	Requirements for minimum staff:child ratios in child care settings are already in place, as set out in the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The framework specifies ratios and qualification requirements by setting, child age and time of the day and covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
	Together with the Department for Work and Pensions, my Department is currently looking at a range of issues relating to the affordability, availability and quality of child care, through the child care commission. We will report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister later in the year.

Children: Day Care

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to ensure that child care is accessible.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government have extended free early education—all three and four-year-olds are now entitled to 15 hours a week. From September 2013, 20% of two-year-olds will also be entitled to 15 hours a week of free early education, rising to 40% in September 2014.
	The Prime Minister announced a commission on child care on 19 June. The commission is looking at how to reduce the costs of child care for working families and remove burdens on child care providers, without compromising the safety or quality of provision. A call for evidence ran from 19 July until 31 August this year, and drew on expert advice from those involved in child care and early education. International evidence on high-quality, affordable child care is also being considered.
	The commission will report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the autumn.

Children's Centres

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's report Child Poverty in the UK: report on the 2010 target, what steps has he taken to ensure that Sure Start centres do more research to reach parents who can most benefit from their services.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 29 October 2012
	The Government have set out clearly the core purpose of Sure Start children's centres, which is to improve outcomes for young children and their families, with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged families, in order to reduce inequalities, so that children are equipped for life and ready for school.
	We do not prescribe how children's centres should achieve this purpose since that is for each children's centre to decide according to its local circumstances. However, we have collected examples of good practice in effective outreach and family support delivered from children's centres to help them to identify and engage with those families that need extra support and we are making sure that children's centres have access to that information.

English Baccalaureate

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that students studying science and geography as part of the English Baccalaureate will have full and equitable access to fieldwork; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to secure the provision of fieldwork as part of high-quality science and geography teaching in GCSEs and their successor qualifications; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of changes to assessments and examinations on the provision of high-quality fieldwork in science and geography GCSEs; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: We are currently working with subject experts in science and geography to develop the subject content and assessment requirements which will be used in the new English Baccalaureate Certificates. These will ensure that the new qualifications will cover essential aspects of science and geography. As part of this work we are considering what fieldwork requirements may be needed to provide a rigorous, rich education in these subjects.
	We expect that the content requirements for both science and geography will be published next year, subject to the outcomes of the current consultation exercise on the reform of Key Stage 4 qualifications launched on 17 September.

Free Schools

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  following the closure of St George of England School, Bootle and the decision of the governing body to found a free school, who is responsible for redundancy payments to staff not willing to accept employment at the new free school;
	(2)  what his policy is on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 in the event of the governing body of a previously maintained school electing to become a free school following a decision by the local education authority to close it.

Elizabeth Truss: The Hawthorne's free school proposal was not brought forward by the governing body of the (now closed) St George of England High School. The local authority took the decision to close two local schools, St George's and St Wilfrid's Catholic High school, before the free school application was made and it is for the local authority as the former employer to honour its commitment to pay those staff without jobs any redundancy to which they are entitled.
	Free schools are new and additional state provision, so our view is that TUPE does not apply to them. The only exception is where existing independent schools apply successfully to become free schools.

Free Schools

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what applications have been made to set up free schools to date; in what location in each such case free schools have (a) opened and (b) been given permission to open; and what the location is of each such school in each category.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 2 November 2012
	To date, over 800 free school applications have been received from groups and individuals throughout England. The names and locations of both the free schools that have opened, and the applications that have been approved for further development, are published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/freeschools

GCE A-level

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals sat A levels in each subject in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will place a copy of the data in the Library.

Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number and percentage of students attempting GCE A-level subjects(1) by free school meal (FSM) eligibility(2), year: 2010/11 (final). Coverage: England, maintained schools (including academies and CTCs)(3) 
			  Students eligible for FSM All other students All students 
			  Number of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) Percentage of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) Number of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) Percentage of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) Number of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) Percentage of students attempting GCE A-level subject(1) 
			 Total number of eligible students 25,806 — 310,356 — 336,162 — 
			        
			 Biological science(4) 2,180 8.4 39,824 12.8 42,004 12.5 
			 Chemistry 1,876 7.3 30,054 9.7 31,930 9.5 
			 Physics 765 3.0 20,632 6.6 21,397 6.4 
			 Other Science(5) 104 0.4 3,268 1.1 3,372 1.0 
			 Mathematics(6) 2,587 10.0 50,728 16.3 53,315 15.9 
			 Further mathematics 236 0.9 7,234 2.3 7,470 2.2 
			 Design and Technology(7) 395 1.5 9,961 3.2 10,356 3.1 
			 Computer studies 155 0.6 2,926 0.9 3,081 0.9 
			 ICT 565 2.2 6,990 2.3 7,555 2.2 
			 Accounting and Finance 299 1.2 2,611 0.8 2,910 0.9 
			 Business Studies(8) 1,288 5.0 21,567 6.9 22,855 6.8 
			 Economics 749 2.9 12,512 4.0 13,261 3.9 
			 Geography(9) 491 1.9 20,792 6.7 21,283 6.3 
			 Government and Politics 551 2.1 9,043 2.9 9,594 2.9 
			 History 1,422 5.5 34,447 11.1 35,869 10.7 
			 Law 1,011 3.9 10,902 3.5 11,913 3.5 
			 Psychology 2,966 11.5 43,098 13.9 46,064 13.7 
			 Sociology 2,335 9.0 22,649 7.3 24,984 7.4 
			 Other Social Studies(10) 216 0.8 3,200 1.0 3,416 1.0 
			 Art and Design(11) 1,647 6.4 28,703 9.2 30,350 9.0 
			 Drama 586 2.3 11,394 3.7 11,980 3.6 
			 English(12) 3,479 13.5 64,039 20.6 67,518 20.1 
			 Media/Film/TV 1,544 6.0 20,759 6.7 22,303 6.6 
			 Other communication studies(13) 526 2.0 8,300 2.7 8,826 2.6 
			 French 268 1.0 7,301 2.4 7,569 2.3 
			 German 102 0.4 3,033 1.0 3,135 0.9 
			 Spanish 171 0.7 3,887 1.3 4,058 1.2 
			 Other modern language(14) 345 1.3 2,142 0.7 2,487 0.7 
			 Classical studies(15) 78 0.3 2,759 0.9 2,837 0.8 
			 Religious Studies 956 3.7 12,953 4.2 13,909 4.1 
			 Music(16) 183 0.7 6,008 1.9 6,191 1.8 
			 PE(17) 390 1.5 15,695 5.1 16,085 4.8 
			 General Studies(18) 1,152 4.5 37,098 12.0 38,250 11.4 
			 (1) Students aged 16-18 attempting a GCE A-level subjects. (2) Students eligible for free school meals at the end of year 11. (3) Maintained schools and FE sector colleges only. Students taking A levels in independent schools are not included. (4) Includes students attempting biology and human biology. (5) Includes students attempting single science, electronics, environmental science, geology and science for public understanding. (6) Includes students attempting mathematics, mechanical mathematics, pure mathematics, discrete mathematics, applied mathematics, statistical mathematics and additional mathematics. (7) Includes students attempting design technology and food technology, design technology and systems and design technology and production. (8) Includes students attempting business studies and business studies and economics. (9) Includes students attempting geography and world development. (10) Includes students attempting social science citizenship, logic/philosophy, archaeology and European studies. (11) Includes students attempting art and design, graphics, textiles, photography, 3D studies, critical studies, fine art and history of art. (12) Includes students attempting English, English literature and English language. (13) Includes students attempting communication, performing and film studies. (14) Includes students attempting Welsh as a second language, Dutch, Italian, modern Greek, Portuguese, Gujarati, Japanese, modern Hebrew, Punjabi, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Urdu and Persian. (15) Includes students attempting ancient history, Greek, Latin, classical civilisation and other classical studies. (16) Includes students attempting music and music technology. (17) Includes students attempting physical education and dance. (18) Includes students attempting general studies and critical thinking. Source: National Pupil Database

Health Education: Sex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on teaching children about pornography as part of sex education.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government want all young people to have high quality, age appropriate sex and relationships education.
	The current non-statutory programmes of study for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, which include sex and relationship education, can provide opportunities for schools to teach about pornography. We believe that teachers should be free to use their professional judgment to decide what to include in PSHE lessons, according to needs of their pupils.

History: Curriculum

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to encourage the study of British history in secondary schools.

Elizabeth Truss: We believe the teaching of history should be at the heart of the school curriculum and that all schoolchildren should be taught about the key events and figures in British history. That is why we are conducting a root and branch review of history teaching as part of the review of the National Curriculum in England, to guarantee that pupils are engaged and inspired to learn British history within a rigorous chronological framework.

History: GCSE

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils were studying history at GCSE in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Statistical First Release “GCSE and Equivalent Results (Provisional) and National Curriculum Teacher Assessments at Key Stage 3 in England, 2011/12” provides information on the number of pupils attempting GCSEs in a range of subjects. This publication is available from the Department's website here:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/recentreleases/a00214981/gcse-national-curriculum-teacher-assessment-ks3-england
	Table 7 shows that the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2011/12 academic year who attempted GCSE history was 197,800. This includes attempts by these pupils in previous academic years.

ICT

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the difficulties encountered by pupils currently transitioning from ICT to computer science.

Elizabeth Truss: There is no statutory requirement for schools to teach computer science instead of ICT.
	The recent disapplication of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study, Attainment Targets and statutory assessment arrangements for ICT means that schools now have more freedom to develop their own local curricula for the subject. We hope that many schools will use this opportunity to implement more rigorous and ambitious approaches to teaching ICT, which could involve greater emphasis on aspects of computer science. However, it is for schools to decide whether and how fast to do this in the best interests of their pupils.

Languages: GCE A-level

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of students studied A-level (a) Hindi, (b) Arabic, (c) Portuguese, (d) Russian, (e) Punjabi, (f) Mandarin and (g) Cantonese in each of the last 10 years.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer1 November 2012
	The information requested for each of the last five years is included in the following table. To provide this information for earlier years would incur a disproportionate cost. There are no entries for GCE A-level Hindi over this time period. We are not able to identify GCE A-level Mandarin and Cantonese therefore GCE A-level Chinese has been given.
	
		
			 GCE A-level examination attempts in selected subjects by students aged 16 to 18(1, 2). Year: 2007/08 to 2011/12(2) Coverage: England 
			  2007/08 (final) 2008/09 (final) 2009/10 (final) 2010/11 (final) 2011/12 (provisional) 
			 Total number of students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 256,616 261,218 267,345 258,892 266,221 
			       
			 Arabic      
			 Number of students aged 16-18 attempting 217 203 224 228 262 
			 Percentage of all students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			       
			 Portuguese      
			 Number of students aged 16-18 attempting 90 119 159 175 168 
			 Percentage of all students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			       
			 Russian      
			 Number of students aged 16-18 attempting 506 547 555 563 673 
			 Percentage of all students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Punjabi      
			 Number of students aged 16-18 attempting 64 56 46 45 57 
			 Percentage of all students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			       
			 Chinese      
			 Number of students aged 16-18 attempting 1,612 1,739 1,364 1,709 2,275 
			 Percentage of all students aged 16-18 entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.9 
			 (1) Age in years at the start of the academic year, ie 31 August 2011 for the 2011/12 academic year. (2) Includes attempts that were; ungraded, no award (absent/declined) and pending.

Leveson Inquiry

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he was asked to provide a witness statement and documents to the Leveson inquiry under section 21(2) of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), was invited by the Leveson inquiry to provide a witness statement and supporting documents. These were submitted to the inquiry on 30 April and can be found on the inquiry website at:
	www.levesoninquiry.org.uk

Mathematics and Science: Education

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to promote the study of mathematics and science in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government are doing much to promote the study of science and mathematics in schools. These subjects are at the heart of its key reforms.
	A formal consultation on the new primary and secondary mathematics and science curriculum content will take place in early 2013. The Department is also currently consulting on a new suite of world class qualifications replacing GCSEs in core academic subjects, to be called English Baccalaureate Certificates (EBCs). The first teaching of EBCs in mathematics, science and English will be in 2015 with the first exams taken in 2017.
	Good teaching is vital to engaging more students in mathematics and science. The Department is attracting the best graduates into mathematics and science teaching through bursaries of up to £20,000.
	The Department has also teamed up with the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry to offer £20,000 scholarships to the most gifted aspiring physics and chemistry teachers. The Department is funding the network of science learning centres and the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics to provide existing teachers with access to high quality professional development.
	The Department is continuing to fund programmes to support greater take up of GCSE triple science and further mathematics and physics A levels.
	The Department is also working with Cambridge university to develop an advanced curriculum to deepen young people's understanding of mathematical ideas and give them a greater mastery of the subject. The Department is also working with Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) to develop a mathematical and statistical problem solving advanced level curriculum that will be appealing and useful to students who would not normally continue to study mathematics post-16.
	New maths specialist Free Schools for talented 16 to 18-year-old mathematicians will increase the likelihood of students studying mathematics, engineering and science at university.

Members: Correspondence:

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 3 August 2012, reference MM/DH/03/08/2012.

Elizabeth Truss: I am sorry to hear that the hon. Member has not received a response to her letter of 3 August 2012, reference MM/DH/03/08/2012. Having reviewed our records, I can confirm that the response was sent out on 24 September 2012.

National Curriculum Tests

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average points score was of pupils taking (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science key stage 2 examinations in each lower layer super output area in the last year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 1 November 2012
	A table showing total average point score of pupils within each super output area, has been placed in the House Libraries. Information on average point scores for individual subject breakdowns could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

National Curriculum Tests

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average points score was of pupils taking (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science key stage 3 examinations in each lower layer super output area in the last year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 1 November 2012
	Average points scores from National Curriculum assessments at key stage 3 were last published at lower layer super output area level for the 2006-07 academic year on the Neighbourhood Statistics website at the following page:
	National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3 by Gender in England (Referenced by Location of Pupil Residence), 2007
	Since then, average point scores have not been calculated at that level, and it is not possible to provide the information requested for recent years without incurring disproportionate cost.
	More up to date information about National Curriculum teacher assessments at key stage 3 were last released for the 2011/12 academic year in the following statistical first release published on the 18 October 2012:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001094/index.shtml

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to include Personal, Social, Health Economic education in the national curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government's intention is to slim down the statutory national curriculum. We have already ruled out making Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education as a whole a statutory subject within the national curriculum.

Pupils: Bullying

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effect of bullying on children's well-being; and if he will place a copy of any statistics related to that matter in the Library.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not commissioned any external research or statistics to look solely at the effect of bullying on children's well-being. However, other research the Department has commissioned has looked more widely at the extent of bullying and the effect on attainment and outcomes.
	According to the 2009 Tellus4 survey, published by the Department in February 2010, a quarter of children and young people said that they were worried about being bullied. The survey included questions on bullying experienced in school and out of school and how well they felt schools dealt with bullying, and separate questions about emotional well-being. The report can be found at:
	http://publications.education.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR218.pdf
	The Department published a report, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, called ‘The Characteristics of Bullying Victims in Schools’ in July 2010. The report investigated the characteristics of pupils aged 14 to 16 who had been bullied, using the longitudinal study of young people in England. It examined the relationships between these characteristics and the likelihood of a young person reporting that they had experienced bullying. The report can be found at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR001.pdf

Schools: Libraries

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the introduction of a statutory duty on the establishment and maintenance of school libraries; what consideration he has given to the inclusion of school libraries on the Ofsted Inspection Schedule; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: School libraries play an important role in helping to improve young people's literacy and love of reading. Schools should decide whether to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Introducing a statutory duty that requires schools to provide a library would risk increasing the burden on schools and would not take account of different school's circumstances.
	Ofsted's survey report ‘Moving English Forward’ published in March 2012 emphasised the importance of encouraging reading for pleasure. It highlighted examples of schools using libraries effectively to promote reading. The use of school libraries as a resource to support children's learning and progress is within the scope of the schools inspection framework. Inspectors will consider evidence presented by schools to demonstrate the contribution of any school library to improving standards of literacy and encouraging reading for pleasure.

Departmental Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of his Department's staff are (a) male and (b) female.

Elizabeth Truss: At 30 September 2012 the headcount for Department and its agencies was 3,880; 60% were female and 40% male.

Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2011-12; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2012-13.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department had 397 vacancies for grades below the senior civil service (SCS) during the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. These vacancies were advertised to all DFE staff and shared with the Department's arm's length bodies. Vacancies not filled within DFE or its arm's length bodies were then advertised across the civil service.
	34 vacancies were advertised externally (outside of the civil service) during the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 where suitable candidates could not be sourced from within the DFE or civil service.
	There were 18 SCS appointments during this period.
	For 2012-13, the Department profiled 452 internal vacancies. As at 30 September 422 vacancies have been advertised.

World War I: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to increase awareness of the first world war in schools in advance of the 2014 centenary of the outbreak of that war.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government believe that it is important that pupils learn about the first world war. That is why, as part of our plans to mark the centenary, the Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government are providing £5.3 million in funding to enable pupils and teachers from every state funded secondary school in England to participate in battlefield tours of the western front.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her evaluation of the pilot schemes by her Department and the Association of Chief Police Officers relating to children missing from care will include an assessment of the risks related to children categorised as absent;
	(2)  when the evaluation of the pilot schemes by her Department and the Association of Chief Police Officers relating to children missing from care will be published.

Jeremy Browne: The aim of the pilots is to better protect children and vulnerable adults through a more proportionate and risk based approach to the management of missing incidents by better targeting of the initial police response. The evaluation examines whether the pilots have achieved these aims and includes an assessment of whether the approach has had any adverse impact on forces’ ability to manage risk in the absence category, which includes both children and adults. The evaluation of the pilot schemes is due to be published in the new year.

Driving: Eyesight

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance she issues on the suspension by police of a driver's licence to allow a full eyesight examination to take place following a road traffic accident;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on the number of drivers who, on causing a road traffic accident, had their eyesight tested at the scene by a police officer.

Jeremy Browne: No information is held centrally about the number of eyesight tests carried out on drivers by police officers following a collision. No guidance has been issued as police officers are not empowered to suspend a driving licence. The police can test a driver's eyesight at the roadside to determine whether they meet the minimum eyesight requirements for driving. If the driver fails the roadside test, the police can inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency who will revoke the driving licence.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department collects information on the number of drivers who, on being involved in a collision, had their eyesight tested at the scene by a police officer;
	(2)  what powers police have to suspend a driver's licence to allow a full eyesight examination to take place following involvement in a road traffic collision.

Jeremy Browne: No information is collected centrally about the number of eyesight tests carried out on drivers by police officers following a collision. Police officers are not empowered to suspend a driver's licence to allow a full eyesight examination to take place following a road traffic collision. The police can test a driver's eyesight at the roadside to determine whether they meet the minimum eyesight requirements for driving. If the driver fails the roadside test, the police can inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency who will revoke the driving licence.

Prostitution

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences relating to prostitution were recorded in 2011 by (a) police force and (b) type of offence.

Jeremy Browne: Offences committed by prostitutes are summary offences and do not form part of the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.
	Data on recorded offences of exploitation of prostitution and soliciting for the purposes of prostitution are available and are given in the table:
	
		
			 Selected sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, 2011 
			 Number of offences 
			 Police force area Exploitation of prostitution Soliciting for the purposes of prostitution 
			 Avon and Somerset 4 228 
			 Bedfordshire 2 4 
			 British Transport Police 2 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 12 
			 Cheshire 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 1 
			 Cumbria 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 0 
			 Dorset 0 18 
			 Durham 0 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 
			 Essex 3 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 0 
			 Greater Manchester 9 46 
			 Gwent 1 1 
			 Hampshire 3 25 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 13 
			 Kent 4 1 
			 Lancashire 0 8 
			 Leicestershire 3 6 
		
	
	
		
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 
			 London, City of 1 0 
			 Merseyside 5 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 21 100 
			 Norfolk 1 2 
			 Northamptonshire 2 4 
			 Northumbria 1 0 
			 North Wales 1 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 94 
			 South Wales 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 4 11 
			 Staffordshire 1 28 
			 Suffolk 4 1 
			 Surrey 1 0 
			 Sussex 3 0 
			 Thames Valley 6 44 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 3 0 
			 West Midlands 7 51 
			 West Yorkshire 9 62 
			 Wiltshire 1 2 
			 Total 110 769

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Billing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average time taken by his Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years.

Jo Swinson: The Department aims to make payment to suppliers within five working days of receiving a valid invoice.
	The percentage of invoices paid within five working days during the last three financial years, are as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2010/11 94.9 
			 2011/12 94.8 
			 2012/13 (April to October) 90.8 
		
	
	The Department continues to monitor prompt payment closely and is currently looking at ways to improve upon the figures reported for this current financial year. The monthly achievement of 92.3% for October 2012 represented an increase of 1.6% on the previous month.

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on refreshments since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: Since May 2010 until 31 October 2012 the departmental expenditure on refreshments with the Department's catering services contractor BaxterStorey was £353,333.
	The Department's policy is that hospitality should only be ordered for meetings where visitors will be present.
	The expenditure is for teas, coffees, fruit juices and biscuits.

Credit: Interest Rates

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the pay-day loan industry's code of practice;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of self-regulation in the payday loan industry.

Jo Swinson: Government are committed to ensuring that the payday lending industry can self-regulate effectively to drive out rogue traders. We also recognise that a voluntary approach can deliver real improvements in consumer protection more quickly than Government regulation.
	That is why we welcomed the strengthened Codes of Practice and new Customer Charter published in July 2012 by the four main payday lending trade associations. These codes were developed to respond to the Office of Fair Trading's findings in its High Cost Credit Review which said that more could be done to help ensure that the markets for high cost credit are seen as responsible industries which are able to address concerns without the need for additional regulation by Government.
	The codes are to be implemented by individual lenders by 26 November 2012, and we expect that these revised codes will deliver enhanced consumer protections as well as provide greater transparency about how these loans work. Citizens Advice and the four trade associations will be monitoring lenders' compliance.
	The trade associations will carry out a review of the effectiveness of the codes of practice in summer 2013. I look forward to considering the outcomes of that review.

Galileo System

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made on the Galileo programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The European Union's satellite navigation programme Galileo is moving from its testing phase into full deployment with the European Commission, the programme manager, estimating that the first services will be offered from a partial system by the end of 2014.
	Last month, the last of the four in-orbit validation satellites were successfully launched and are performing well in space. The payloads for these satellites were built by Astrium UK. Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd is building the payloads for the next 22 satellites and UK companies have wide range of other contracts from the programme, demonstrating the vibrant and healthy space industry we have in Britain.
	As Galileo becomes operational and services start, it is important that the UK continues to capitalise on the opportunity this offers for growth in the space sector and the wider economy. I am hosting the largest EU space event of 2012 in London on 3-5 December. The focus of the 'European Space Solutions' event is on stimulating growth in the downstream market for space-based services and technologies. I look forward to welcoming European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, together with a senior representative from the European Space Agency and participants from across Europe to focus on how to stimulate the take up and use of new services such as Galileo. Interested Members of Parliament can register for the conference or visit the public exhibition on Horse Guards Parade from 3-9 December where they can learn about the significant progress in this key sector.

New Businesses: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises were set up in the London borough of Havering in the last 12 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many small and medium sized enterprises were set up in the London Borough of Havering in the last 12 months.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from 2004 onwards in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	Data for the last 12 months, however, are not yet available.
	The following table contains the latest statistics, which cover the calendar year 2010.
	
		
			  Small size businesses (0-49 employment size band) Medium size businesses (50-249 employment size band) 
			 Count of enterprise births by small and medium employment size bands in the London borough of Havering, 2010 885 5 
			 Note: The above figures have been rounded to the nearest five, to avoid disclosure.

Nurseries

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many child care places his Department provides on its estate; what the cost is of providing such places; how many such places his Department provided in 2010; what the cost was of providing such places in 2010; what plans he has for changes in the provision of such child care places; and what the number of places will be once any such changes have been implemented.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not have any on-site nurseries. However, we do provide facilities for a cross-government holiday play scheme to run from our Westminster premises, which is available to our London based staff. We are currently reviewing the support we offer to staff for child care.

Olympic Games 2012

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which Ministers or officials in his Department have had (a) discussions and (b) correspondence with (i) construction companies and (ii) trade unions on reports that blacklists were used by contractors completing construction work on public contracts for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 6 November 2012
	There have been no discussions or correspondence between Ministers or officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and construction companies or trade unions on these allegations of blacklists being used by contractors working on the Olympic stadium.
	I understand this dates back to 2008 and that the previous Administration introduced regulations in 2010 to outlaw blacklisting.
	I am unaware of any evidence that these regulations are not doing their job, but if any evidence comes to light, I would be interested to see it.

Public Houses: Closures

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of pubs that have closed in (a) England, (b) each English county and (c) each English unitary council in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not made any direct estimate of the number of pubs that have closed in England, the English counties or each English unitary council in the last five years. In the Government's response to the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee inquiry on pub companies published in November 2011, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills drew on publicly available data from CGA Strategy on behalf of CAMRA, the British Beer and Pubs Associations Handbook and the annual benchmarking survey of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers.
	CGA Strategy and CAMRA report the following closures since December 2008. These figures appear to cover England, Scotland and Wales.
	
		
			 Period covered Net pub closures 
			 December 2008 to December 2009 2365 
			 December 2009 to December 2010 1278 
			 December 2010 to June 2011 367 
			 September 2011 to March 2012 (1)c. 300 
			 March 2012 to September 2012 (1)c. 450 
			 (1) Taken from press release.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (a) how many and (b) which successful bids to the Regional Growth Fund have (i) received an agreed offer, (ii) received a final offer letter, (iii) drawn down funding and (iv) not yet reached these stages in each region and in each funding round.

Michael Fallon: 176 bids under Rounds 1 and 2 of the Regional Growth Fund were conditionally allocated funding subject to confirmatory due diligence. These bids translate to 239 individual awards as some bids have multiple counterparties. Details on successful bids from the two rounds are as follows. Announcements on selected bids from Round 3 were made on 19 October and none of these selected bids has yet received an agreed offer.
	
		
			  Received an agreed (conditional) offer Received final offer Drawn down funding Conditions not yet agreed (in correspondence) 
			 Region R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 
			 East midlands 1 0 1 4 1 1 0 2 
			 West midlands 1 4 6 12 2 4 1 2 
			 North-east 5 12 14 35 10 12 0 3 
			 North-west 2 9 6 22 4 9 0 5 
			 South-east 0 4 2 5 0 1 0 0 
			 South-west 0 3 5 6 1 3 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 3 7 14 4 5 0 3 
			 East of England 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 National 0 0 5 4 4 3 0 0 
			 Total 9 35 46 102 27 38 1 16

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore we only have access to data from this date.
	The following tables show the average working days lost by grade for staff in BIS along with the percentage of staff who had one or more periods of sickness absence. The information is published on the BIS website on a quarterly basis and calculated on a 12-month rolling period.
	
		
			  AA AO EO HEO 
			 12 month-rolling period Average working days lost % Average working days lost % Average working days lost % Average working days lost % 
			 June 2011 to July 2012 17.2 68 11.0 57 7.8 44 4.6 38 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 19.6 65 11.0 54 7.8 43 4.5 37 
			 January 2011 to December 2011 21.3 60 10.3 54 7.9 46 4.4 36 
			 October 2010 to September 2011 15.8 31 4.9 45 5.8 45 3.0 32 
			 July 2010 to June 2011 11.5 39 5.5 42 5.1 40 3.2 31 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 4.3 28 6.5 48 5.7 45 3.5 35 
			 January 2010 to December 2010 4.4 63 5.9 47 5.2 43 3.2 34 
			 October 2009 to September 2010 7.5 55 5.3 47 5.3 43 2.8 34 
			 July 2009 June 2910 9.4 57 6.1 54 6.3 52 3.2 38 
		
	
	
		
			  SEO G7 G6 SCS Unknown 
			 12 month-rolling period Average working days lost % Average working days lost % Average working days lost % Average working days lost % Average working days lost % 
			 June 2011 to July 2012 4.2 39 3.6 29 2.1 26 2.4 20 — — 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 3.8 39 3.3 26 2.0 26 1.6 21 — — 
			 January 2011 to December 2011 3.1 38 3.2 25 2.2 23 1.1 18 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 October 2010 to September 2011 2.9 34 1.8 19 1.1 19 0.4 14 — — 
			 July 2010 to June 2011 2.3 31 1.8 19 1.4 18 0.4 11 — — 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 2.5 34 2.4 24 2.0 19 0.6 12 480.0 0 
			 January 2010 to December 2010 3.0 35 2.3 25 2.3 19 0.6 15 6.1 3 
			 October 2009 to September 2010 2.7 35 2.1 26 2.1 19 0.5 17 3.6 0 
			 July 2009 June 2910 4.2 42 2.8 29 2.9 24 0.7 17 4.8 1

Students: Loans

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of student loans written off because of bankruptcy in 2011-12 were issued to students from (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) other EU countries.

David Willetts: Since 2004, student loans have been excluded from a borrower's bankruptcy debts, so that during and upon discharge from bankruptcy the borrower remains liable to repay his student loan.
	The vast majority of loan cancellations due to bankruptcy prior to the regulation change were processed by the Student Loans Company before financial year 2009-10. However, in 2011 the SLC conducted a casework review which identified some early bankruptcy cases which required student loan cancellations to be processed. This led to a peak in write-offs due to bankruptcy to the value of £4.2 million in financial year 2011-12. This amount relates to English domiciled students.
	The value of loans written off due to bankruptcy is published annually in Table 1 of the Statistical First Release ‘Student Loans for Higher Education in England’:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333174/slcsfr012012.pdf.
	Equivalent statistics relating to students domiciled in the devolved Administrations are available at the following links. Student loans were not made available to EU students studying in the UK until 2006 so they would not appear in these statistics.
	Wales
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333177/slcsfr022012.pdf
	Scotland:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333183/slcsfr042012.pdf
	Northern Ireland:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333180/slcsfr032012.pdf

Trade Promotion

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanisms he is monitoring the Business Ambassadors programme; and what benchmarks and metrics he and UKTI have set for such monitoring.

Michael Fallon: The Business Ambassadors programme is supported by a dedicated Secretariat based in UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), responsible for managing and developing the programme of key events and opportunities in the calendar which enable Business Ambassadors to promote the UK economy and business environment. The Secretariat also ensures that Business Ambassadors are properly briefed for each event with key facts on live issues.
	Given the nature of the Business Ambassadors' role, it is not possible to develop a means of measuring the specific impact of their involvement in a particular campaign. We assess the network's effectiveness in communicating core messages about the UK, and promoting UK excellence to as many potential customers and inward investors as possible: this includes where appropriate media coverage and feedback from UKTI trade teams overseas on events, and discussion with the Business Ambassadors themselves to ensure we learn from each event and tailor activities to the strengths and interests of each Business Ambassador.
	A summary list of activities undertaken by the Business Ambassadors network throughout 2012 is published at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/keypeople/businessambassadors.html

Working Hours: EU Law

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on reform of the European Working Time Directive; and what progress he has made on such reform.

Jo Swinson: The Government committed in the coalition agreement to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the UK. Our absolute priority is the retention of the individual's right to opt-out of the 48 hour limit on weekly working time.
	The Working Time Directive is currently being negotiated by EU Social Partners. The EU Social Partner negotiations are autonomous, and operate independently of the Commission, Council and Government.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: Ministers and officials in the Department are committed to providing hon. Members with substantive answers to House of Commons ordinary written parliamentary questions (WPQs) within five working days.
	For the period 3 November 2011 to 2 November 2012 the figures for this Department were:
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
			 (a) within five working days 1,449 69 
			 (b) between six to 10 days 529 25 
			 (c) over10 days 107 5 
			 Total 2,085 — 
		
	
	Following restructuring within the Department's Parliamentary Relations team the internal parliamentary data source has been upgraded, allowing officials to check on progress of all active WPQs on a twice daily basis. Using this new device, the Department is aiming to improve its performance in answering WPQs on time during this and future sessions of Parliament.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: Ministers and officials in this Department are committed to providing hon. Members with substantive answers to parliamentary questions on the date stipulated by the Member.
	In the past 12 months (3 November 2011 to 2 November 2012) the Department sent 366 holding responses, representing 31% of all Commons named day PQs received in this period.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

TREASURY

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on refreshments since May 2010.

David Gauke: In the 29 months from 1 May 2010 to 30 September 2012, the Treasury spent £188,000 on refreshments for meetings and hospitality, mainly for external visitors to the Department. The equivalent spending in the 29 months prior to 1 May 2010 was £650,000.

Child Benefit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of people who will cease to claim child benefit due to the higher rate child benefit charge.

David Gauke: holding answer 26 October 2012
	HMRC's latest costing assumption is that 100,000 families will opt out of receiving child benefit due to the higher income child benefit charge. This assumption will be reviewed by the Office for Budget Responsibility for the autumn statement.

Child Benefit

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many claims for child benefit for (a) two, (b) three and (c) four or more children whose parents are citizens of an EU member state and who themselves reside outside the UK have been (i) received and (ii) paid in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many claims for child benefit his Department received from EU citizens with children resident outside the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; what sum was paid or remitted to such claimants in that period; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 8 November 2012
	HM Revenue & Customs maintains a database showing the number of ongoing UK family benefit awards made under EC Regulation 883/2004 which provides information about the aggregate number of awards and the aggregate number of children involved per member state of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel) on 22 October 2012, Official Report, columns 619-20W, for the latest published data.
	Information about the number of child benefit claims received under the EC regulations is not available. Information about the amount of child benefit paid is available only at disproportionate cost because not all awards are made at the full UK rate.

Child Benefit

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families are claiming child benefit for more than two children in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales.

David Gauke: This information is published in the HMRC publication ‘Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis’, which can be accessed at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug11.pdf
	The latest available data are for August 2011.
	The number of families claiming child benefit for more than two children, broken down by country, can be found on pages 16-21 of this publication, but for ease has also been reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of families containing a certain number of children by country of the UK 
			 Thousand 
			  Three children Four children Five or more children 
			 England 758.7 202.0 74.9 
			 Northern Ireland 35.5 10.1 3.1 
			 Scotland 62.1 13.5 3.6 
			 Wales 42.0 10.4 3.5

Railways: Capital Allowances

John Leech: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has considered a review of the exclusion of the railway industry from the enhanced capital allowances scheme;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the spending by the railway industry that would qualify for inclusion under the enhanced capital allowances scheme were it to be eligible for that scheme;
	(3)  for what reason the railway industry is excluded from the enhanced capital allowances scheme.

David Gauke: The scope of the enhanced capital allowances (ECA) scheme for energy saving and environmentally beneficial technologies is kept under regular review. As with all tax policy, any announcements on changes to the ECA scheme are made as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.
	HMRC does not have the information necessary to estimate the total expenditure incurred by the whole rail industry that would potentially qualify under the ECA scheme.
	Considerations taken into account in excluding railway assets from the ECA scheme were the nature of the scheme in relation to the railway industry, the industry's assets, and the other allowances available in respect of capital expenditure on those.

Third Sector

Chris White: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made on the review of barriers to social investment; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury is conducting an internal review of the financial barriers to social enterprise, as announced at Budget 2012. The review will report to Ministers in due course.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers had enrolled on real time information for universal credit by 6 November 2012.

David Gauke: At 6 November 2012, around 6,000 PAYE schemes were submitting real time information (RTI) covering around 2.1 million individual employment records.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of (a) employers and (b) employees enrolled on real time information for universal credit in (i) April 2013, (ii) October 2013, (iii) January 2014, (iv) April 2014 and (v) January 2015.

David Gauke: There are approximately 39 million individuals with an active PAYE employment record, including 10 million receiving pension income, administered through 2.1 million PAYE schemes in the UK.
	Under real time information (RTI) employers and pension providers will send HMRC PAYE information each time they pay their employees or pensioners. RTI for universal credit claimants will be used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to adjust their awards.
	Most employers, who are not participating in the 2012-13 RTI pilot, will join the RTI system in April 2013. And HMRC expect the vast majority of employers to be operating PAYE in real time by the end of October 2013.
	They estimate that up to 8,000 PAYE schemes will not start reporting PAYE in real time until April 2014. These schemes will mainly be Care and Support employers and employers who operate particular non-standard PAYE schemes.
	The DWP timetable for universal credit is for new claimants to be able to make claims for universal credit from October 2013.
	HMRC do not know how many of the 8,000 schemes that may not have joined RTI between October 2013 and April 2014 will have employees claiming universal credit but the number of individuals affected is expected to be very small.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Housing: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of whether housebuilding is being held back by (a) building regulations, (b) the planning system and (c) the availability of finance; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Housing Strategy published in November 2011 identified a range of barriers to house building. The impact of these factors will vary from scheme to scheme. We are putting in place measures which reflect this diversity of local circumstances, for example through our review of building regulations and housing standards, flexibility to renegotiate planning obligations where these are making a site unviable, access to development finance through the Get Britain Building fund, or investment in infrastructure through the Growing Places fund. The housing and growth package announced in September strengthens this ability to provide a package of measures and support which meets the needs of specific sites, including finance support through the £10 billion housing debt guarantee.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's answer to question 10 of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's evidence session on 15 October 2012, if he will publish the evidence base used to judge that too little land has been brought forward for development in England.

Nicholas Boles: At the Select Committee, I stated that, in the past, too little land had been brought forward for development.
	As an illustration, a survey by the Planning Inspectorate under the last administration of 337 local planning authorities was only able to identify 81 local authorities as clearly having a five-year housing land supply (DCLG, “Five-year housing land supply coverage in England”, March 2010, p.5).

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's answer to question 112 of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's evidence session on 15 October 2012, who has responsibility for use class orders within his Department.

Nicholas Boles: The consultation on "New opportunities for sustainable development and growth through the reuse of existing buildings" was published on 3 July 2012, and the general stance that my Department is taking on change of use was outlined in the answer of 17 July 2012, Official Report, column 648W.
	Since my appointment on 5 September, I have been the Minister with responsibility for planning, including reform of change of use and permitted development rights.
	I work closely with ministerial colleagues in the Department on related public policy issues; for example, the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis), has policy responsibility for community pubs.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 304W, on housing: construction, what proportion of the 75,000 stalled sites are stalled due to section 106 agreements; and what proportion of such sites are stalled due to section 106 agreements relating to affordable housing.

Mark Prisk: As I said in my answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 304W, to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), Glenigan's independent estimates are that 75,000 housing units are currently stalled due to sites being commercially unviable. More detailed information on individual sites is not centrally held.

Regional Spatial Strategies

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the regional spatial strategy for the East of England to be abolished.

Nicholas Boles: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of the 25 July 2012, Official Report, House of Lords, column WS66-68, on the timetable and plans for the proposed revocation of the Regional Strategies, subject to due process and consideration.
	We are making good progress. The report for the East of England was published for public consultation between 25 July and 20 September. Reports for Yorkshire and Humber, South East, East Midlands and North East have also been published for public consultation, and further consultations will follow over the coming weeks.

Service Charges

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what safeguards he has put in place to ensure that lessees do not pay excessive and disproportionate managing agent fees.

Don Foster: The law provides leaseholders with a number of rights and protections where service charges and the management of their property are concerned, including fees payable towards the costs of management.
	For example, where leaseholders do not believe that the charges they are being asked to pay are reasonable they may be able to apply to an independent Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of the charges.
	Free initial advice about all of the rights and protections available to leaseholders is available from the Leasehold Advisory Service.

Service Charges

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to requiring all property managers and block management agents to become members of a governing body.

Don Foster: A large number of property managers and managing agents in the residential leasehold sector already belong to bodies or associations offering voluntary regulation. These include bodies such as the Association of Residential Managing Agents, the Association of Retirement Housing Managers and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and ensure that their members have the right protections in place and operate to certain standards. They also have redress systems if something goes wrong.
	In view of this, the moves towards stronger self-regulation by some leading trade associations in the field, and the need for these managers to comply with two Codes of Management Practice approved by the Secretary of State, the Government do not believe that the time is right for Government-imposed regulation of the sector which would run the risk of increasing burdens and costs.

Service Charges

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the ease with which owners and lessees are able to set up right to manage companies.

Don Foster: No recent assessment has been made about the operation of the right to manage legislation, and there are no current plans to do so, although the Government welcome suggestions on improvements to residential leasehold, including the right to manage.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, columns 371-2, on feed-in tariff, what his Department's central forecast is for the level of solar photovoltaic generating capacity that will be installed by 2020.

Gregory Barker: The latest analysis in the impact assessment which accompanied the Government Response to Phase 2A of the Comprehensive Review of the FITs scheme demonstrates that under the central scenario, 11.9 GW of PV would be installed under the FITs scheme by end of financial year 2020-21; the upper scenario is 21.100 GW by end of financial year 2020-21. Projections of future PV deployment are extremely uncertain, and will depend on future movements in factors such as solar module prices.

CABINET OFFICE

Freedom of Information

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the cost of (a) external legal advice, (b) advice from the Treasury Solicitor's Department and (c) civil service time incurred in dealing with Freedom of Information Act 2000 request EA/2011/0185.

Francis Maude: holding answer 2 November 2012
	This case has not yet concluded and there is insufficient information on which to base an estimate.

Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2011-12; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2012-13.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office does not retain records on the number of open vacancies on particular dates. However, the Department maintains a deliberately high level of turnover as part of its resourcing model, ensuring that it can bring in the best talent from other Government Departments and more widely to ensure that it has the skills and experience it needs to address changing priorities.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Trees: Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the issue of Chalara fraxinea; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), chaired a cross Government meeting on Friday 2 November to which Ministers from the devolved Administrations were invited. A Minister from the Scottish Government joined the meeting while the other devolved Administrations were represented by senior officials. There will be a second such meeting later this week to which Ministers from the devolved Administrations have again been invited.
	We have been in daily contact with the devolved Administrations regarding this issue.

Plastic Bags

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the introduction of a single use carrier bags charge in England.

Richard Benyon: We are monitoring developments in other parts of the UK, including the results from the introduction of the charging scheme in Wales, together with Northern Ireland's plan to launch a charge from April 2013. We are also interested in the outcome of the Scottish consultation on a charge.

TRANSPORT

Driving Under Influence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers involved in accidents in the UK were found to have a blood alcohol content of between 0 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The estimated number and proportion of drivers and riders under the legal alcohol limit (0 to 80 mg/100 ml of blood) involved in a road traffic accident in Great Britain 2001-10 was:
	
		
			  Proportion of drivers/riders below the alcohol limit (0-80 mg/100 ml of blood) (%) Number of drivers/riders below the alcohol limit (0-80 mg/100 ml of blood)(1) 
			 2001 82 135,700 
			 2002 81 130,700 
			 2003 81 127,500 
			 2004 79 119,700 
			 2005 79 118,200 
			 2006 78 111,700 
			 2007 82 111,200 
			 2008 81 102,300 
			 2009 80 96,100 
			 2010 83 92,800 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest 100, since these are estimates Note: We do not hold figures for Northern Ireland.

Driving Under Influence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on how many drivers involved in accidents registered a blood alcohol content of between 50 and 80 mg in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: The number of drivers and riders involved in an accident in Great Britain for 2010 that were between 50-80 mg/100 ml of blood-alcohol level was approximately 1,100 (rounded to the nearest 100).

Driving Under Influence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the use of alcohol interlocks in public vehicles.

Stephen Hammond: An alcohol interlock prevents a person starting a vehicle if alcohol is detected on the driver's breath.
	Operators of public vehicles may choose to use alcohol interlocks to improve safety. However, the Department has no plans to make their use mandatory in public vehicles.

Driving Under Influence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed in crashes involving drink drivers in (a) Humberside and (b) north Lincolnshire in the last 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The numbers of fatalities in drink drive accidents are not published below regional level.
	The estimated numbers of fatalities in drink drive accidents in the Yorkshire and the Humber region in the years 2001-10 were:
	
		
			  Number of fatalities 
			 2001 40 
			 2002 50 
			 2003 60 
			 2004 70 
			 2005 60 
			 2006 50 
			 2007 50 
			 2008 20 
			 2009 30 
			 2010 20 
		
	
	The estimates are derived from matching of police and coroners data on drink drive accidents. Various factors (e.g. hit and run accidents, non-matching records) mean that this dataset is generally incomplete. Estimates derived from it are rounded to the nearest 10 in view of this uncertainty. Region-level estimates for 2011 are not yet available.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to introduce new measures to ensure a minimum requirement for regular eyesight tests at the point of driver licence renewal.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to introduce formal eyesight testing linked to driving licence renewal. The Department reviewed the vision arrangements for drivers as part of the implementation of EC Directive 2009/113/EC. The law requires all drivers of motor vehicles to ensure that they are able to meet the appropriate vision standards while driving.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the effects of compliance with EC directives 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC, on the number of road traffic crashes.

Stephen Hammond: No specific assessment has been completed on the effect of compliance on the number of road traffic accidents. An impact assessment has been completed on the medical aspects of the directive which will be published alongside the legislation changes.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government (a) have taken and (b) plan to take to ensure compliance with EC directives (i) 2009/113/EC and (ii) 2006/126/EC concerning driver eyesight.

Stephen Hammond: The driver eyesight standards contained in the European Commission directives need to be in place by 19 January 2013. The domestic legislative changes are expected to be introduced early in 2013. Administrative procedures are already in place to ensure that all driver licence applicants meet the minimum eyesight standards required by the directive.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps have been taken by his Department to raise public awareness of the dangers of driving with poor eyesight.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport's THINK! road safety campaign has issued a public information film called “Transport Café” that raises awareness of the need for good eyesight and the necessity to read number plates from a distance. In the last financial year “Transport Café” achieved £203,651 worth of airtime value with a spread of coverage across BBC1, CH5 and other digital channels such as the British Forces Broadcasting Service. The film can be viewed at:
	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ5Z9nCk40M&list =PL6B70BFE9089C1028&index=16&feature=plpp_video
	In addition, DFT provide information for the public on Gov.uk about the standards of eyesight for driving and what to do if you have a problem:
	https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

Driving: Licensing

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Strategic Framework for Road Safety, published in May 2011, what progress has been made on the development of the new post-test qualification for newly qualified drivers.

Stephen Hammond: Improving the safety and ability of young drivers is a key priority for the Government. We are considering how to improve training for drivers after they pass their test and are currently working with young people, the insurance industry and other key partners to identify what more can be done to ensure that newly-qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely.

Driving: Older People

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have developed educational interventions to help older drivers assess their appropriateness to continue driving and to help them consider alternatives to the use of the car; what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of such interventions; and if he will undertake a national audit to make such interventions available nationally.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold this information.
	However, the Strategic Framework for Road Safety, published on 11 May 2011, says that
	“we would like to work with the voluntary sector representing the elderly and the training industry to develop further training schemes for older drivers.”
	We do not have any plans to undertake a national audit to make educational interventions available nationally; it is for local authorities to decide whether or not they undertake such interventions with older drivers.

Helicopters: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had on safety standards in the helicopter fleet servicing the UK offshore oil and gas sector with the (a) Civil Aviation Authority and (b) European Aviation Safety Agency; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch's initial findings from the investigation into the causes of the emergency ditching of a Super Puma EC225 in the North Sea on 22 October 2012; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent discussion on safety standards in the helicopter fleet servicing the UK offshore oil and gas sector he has had with representatives from (a) the Civil Aviation Authority, (b) the European Aviation Safety Agency, (c) trade unions and (d) offshore oil and gas companies; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has overall responsibility for assuring the continuing airworthiness of these helicopters. EASA issued an emergency airworthiness directive on 25 October following the ditching of a Super Puma EC225 in the North Sea on 22 October. As a precautionary measure, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued an operational directive on 25 October to prevent helicopters covered by the EASA directive from operating commercial flights over areas of open sea until further notice. The CAA is liaising closely with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) over its ongoing investigation and has had several recent meetings with the AAIB, EASA and other interested parties.

London Midland: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the continuation review for the London Midland franchise will (a) begin and (b) conclude; and whether the performance of Govia will be taken into account in that review.

Norman Baker: holding answer 5 November 2012
	As determined by criteria in the franchise agreement let by the previous Government, London Midland's Continuation Review Period ran from June 2011 to June 2012. The terms of the franchise agreement mean that the only criteria used to determine the outcome were those relating to London Midland. Accordingly, no wider factors relating to the owning group, Govia, can be taken into account.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what analysis his Department has conducted (a) independently and (b) in conjunction with other Government Departments of the cost of inclusion of aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has been working closely with, and will continue to work closely with, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and other Whitehall Departments to analyse the difference in the costs between inclusion and exclusion of international aviation and shipping emissions in the UK's 2050 carbon target and carbon budgets. The Government will consider this, and other relevant factors, carefully in advance of making a decision on this matter later this year.
	New analysis published by the Committee on Climate Change in April 2012 estimated the overall costs of meeting the UK's 2050 carbon target (including international aviation and shipping emissions) to be towards the low end of their previous estimate of 1% to 2% of GDP in 2050. Preliminary internal cross-Departmental analysis estimated that the resource costs in 2050 of meeting a 2050 target that included emissions from international aviation and shipping would be around 0.1-0.4 percentage points of GDP higher than the cost of meeting a 2050 target that excluded those emissions.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Fire Prevention

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the cost of the online fire safety training available to (a) hon. Members, (b) their staff and (c) staff of the House; and what proportion of each such group completed such training in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The development and hosting costs of the online fire safety training, available to Members, their staff and House staff, apportioned to the House of Commons were £19,800 and formed part of the 2009-10 budget. This equates to a cost of £2.30 per head for the period up to a planned upgrade of the training in 2013-14.
	The proportions of Members, their staff and House staff who undertook the online training in the first six months of 2012-13 were:
	
		
			  Percentage trained Number trained 
			 Members 0.5 3 
			 Members' staff 2.8 52 
			 House staff (including PICT) 35 714 
		
	
	In addition, classroom-based fire safety training has been provided to an additional 147 House staff in the period making the proportion of House staff receiving training in this period 42%.
	If the hon. Member has further concerns on this matter, the Head of Fire Safety and Environment would be happy to discuss them with him.

Fire Prevention

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the effect of the medium-term financial plan and savings programme on fire safety improvements planned for the Palace of Westminster.

John Thurso: The draft medium-term financial plan for 2013-14 to 2016-17 includes £20 million of capital expenditure on fire safety improvement works on the Parliamentary Estate. It will not be possible to split out costs for the Palace of Westminster until the review of fire risk assessments and project scoping exercises are completed in the fourth quarter of this financial year, although the majority of improvement works are required in the Palace.
	The fire safety improvements works over the period covered by the plan focus on life-safety improvements to high risk areas, including but not limited to the Palace basement, plant rooms and roof spaces, Westminster Hall and Elizabeth Tower and improvements to the fire engineering infrastructure, disabled egress arrangements and fire safety signage.
	If the hon. Member has further concerns on this matter, the Head of Fire Safety and Environment would be happy to discuss them with him.

Fire Prevention

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what sanctions exist in respect of (a) hon. Members, (b) their staff and (c) staff of the House who fail to complete the online fire safety training course.

John Thurso: In line with the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the Administration requires House staff, as direct employees, to undertake regular (annual) fire safety training. This is required training for House staff and failure to complete could lead to disciplinary procedures through the line management chain.
	The House Administration is not able to impose sanctions on other occupants of the Estate such as Members and their staff, as they are not employees. The Administration fulfils its obligations for provision of fire safety training to occupants of the estate not employed by the House by making quick and convenient fire safety training readily available and promoting the uptake of the training through regular messages in Member-facing publications and on the intranet. As employers of their staff, individual Members have a duty to ensure that they are properly trained, are aware of the fire safety requirements on the Estate, and comply with the instructions of Fire Officers and Fire Marshals.
	If the hon. Member has further concerns on this matter, the Head of Fire Safety and Environment would be happy to discuss them with him.

Table Office

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many full-time Clerks have been employed in the Table Office in each year for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The Table Office came into existence during the 1939-45 war and was certainly an established phenomenon by the time the House returned to the rebuilt Commons Chamber in 1951. There appear to have been four full-time Clerks employed in the Table Office from the time it became formally established. The number of full-time Clerks was increased to five in 2002 in response to a growing number of PQs tabled. In October 2006 the Office's staff of Clerks was increased to six. Since that date the number has fluctuated between five and six full-time equivalents, rising to a peak of 6.3 full-time equivalents between March and June 2012. Some regular additional assistance in the evenings is provided to the Office by Clerks assigned to posts in the Committee Office.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions were tabled each day in March (a) 2009 and (b) 2012;
	(2)  how many written parliamentary questions to the House of Commons Commission received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to the House of Commons Commission received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The number of written parliamentary questions tabled to the House of Commons Commission each day in March 2009 and March 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of written PQs tabled each day 
			  Number 
			 2009  
			 2 March 1 
			 3 March 11 
			 4 March 1 
			 9 March 1 
			 11 March 1 
			 16 March 5 
			 17 March 1 
			 20 March 3 
			 23 March 1 
			 24 March 6 
			 25 March 1 
			 26 March 1 
			 30 March 1 
			 31 March 1 
			 Total (1)35 
			   
			 2012  
			 1 March 7 
			 6 March 3 
			 7 March 1 
			 8 March 1 
			 14 March 1 
			 20 March 1 
			 22 March 1 
			 Total 15 
			 (1) Includes one written question transferred from the Leader and excludes one which was transferred to the Leader. 
		
	
	In the year to 2 November 2012 there were 99 written parliamentary questions tabled to the House of Commons Commission. A detailed analysis of when these were answered is not readily available, but in all but 19 cases questions were answered either on the named day or within five sitting days. In those 19 cases, a letter was sent to the Member concerned to apologise for the delay.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lobbying

Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish his White Paper on a statutory register of lobbyists.

Chloe Smith: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 331W, to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy).

HEALTH

Cancer

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of gene expression profiling in the diagnosis for patients with cancer of unknown primary.

Anna Soubry: Genetic expression profiling of cancer of unknown primary is still at the research stage and not yet routinely available on the national health service. Tests are available for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, KRAS for colorectal cancer, KIT and Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor Agonist for Gastrointestinal cancer, and Her2 for breast cancer.

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on refreshments since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Since May 2010 the Department has spent the following on refreshments in each financial year:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
			 2010-11 (from May 2010) 620,760.29 
			 2011-12 452,893.27 
			 2012-13 (April-October) 232,220.30 
		
	
	These costs include the provision of refreshments for external meetings and visitors hosted in the Department's buildings. Departmental policy is not to provide refreshments for internal meetings.
	Since May 2012 Connecting for Health has spent £46,682.47.

Corporate Hospitality

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have accepted corporate hospitality since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Details of ministerial hospitality received are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/

Doctors: Working Hours

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the European working time directive on the (a) well-being of NHS patients and (b) training of junior doctors.

Daniel Poulter: The care of patients in the modern health service is by multidisciplinary clinical teams with strong innovative, senior clinical leadership. Good teams are the safest way to care for patients; ensuring that care is continuous cannot be the responsibility of just one member of the team.
	It is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts to assess the effects the directive is having on patients and staff in their trust. However, the Government recognise the difficulties caused by the working time directive. The review by Sir John Temple reported on the directive's impact on doctors' training.
	In response to this review and the Collins' report ‘Foundation for Excellence’, Medical Education England are implementing a programme—Better Training, Better Care—to improve the quality of training and improved patient outcomes, safety and experience.
	Sir John Temple also reported that the requirements of the junior doctors' contract and the directive differ and that this reduces flexibility. As a result the NHS Employers organisation was commissioned to make recommendations for reappraising the contract. The report's recommendations are being considering carefully.

Driving Under Influence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to the NHS was of incidents involving drink drivers in the last year for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold data centrally that would enable it to make an estimate of the cost to the national health service of incidents involving drink drivers.
	We are aware of a published study, ‘The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-7 NHS costs’, published in the Journal of Public Health May 2011, which estimated the cost to the NHS in the United Kingdom of alcohol attributable motor vehicle accidents to be at £238 million in 2006-07.

Eyesight: Testing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye tests.

Daniel Poulter: The Government recognise that regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss.
	Free national health services sight tests are available to many people, including children, people aged 60 and over, people on benefits and those people at particular risk of developing eye disease. The uptake of NHS sight tests is increasing. In 2011-12, there were 12.3 million NHS sight tests, an increase of 367,000 (3.1%) compared with the previous year.
	Information about the extensive arrangements for providing help with NHS optical services and other health costs is published in leaflet HC11 “Are you entitled to help with health costs?”.
	The Department has worked, and continues to work with NHS Choices on the development of articles and videos to raise the profile of visual health and promote the importance of regular sight tests.
	Local health commissioners can also promote eye health, if they consider that to be needed locally.

Eyesight: Testing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will conduct an analysis of whether eye tests should be included in standard health check-ups performed by GPs.

Daniel Poulter: The Government recognise that regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss.
	A substantial proportion of the population is eligible for free national health service sight tests. These are provided as part of the broad range of NHS primary care services through contracts with primary care optical providers, with clinical work undertaken by ophthalmic practitioners, the most appropriate clinical group to provide this service.
	Those eligible for free sight tests include children, people aged 60 and over, people on benefits and those people at particular risk of developing eye disease. The uptake of NHS sight tests is increasing. In 2011-12, there were 12.3 million NHS sight tests, an increase of 367,000 (3.1%) compared with the previous year.
	We have no plans to change these arrangements for delivering NHS sight tests.

Homeopathy

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that patient access to homeopathic medicines will not be affected by the consolidation of regulations referring to section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968.

Daniel Poulter: The Medicines Act 1968 and the some 200 statutory instruments which made up the fragmented United Kingdom medicines legislation for medicines have been consolidated into one set of regulations: the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. This came into force on 14 August 2012. Section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968 was not consolidated—nor was it intended as part of the consolidation exercise to change the legislative provisions governing the sale and supply of homeopathic medicines. Any change to these provisions which move them away from the current position would need detailed assessment and consideration.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the costs to the NHS of returned medicines.

Daniel Poulter: Research commissioned by the Department to determine the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines in England estimated that the gross cost of unused prescription medicines in primary and community care in the national health service in England in 2009 was £300 million a year and that up to £150 million of this was avoidable. The annual waste figure includes an estimated £100 million of medicines returned to community pharmacies over the course of the year and the associated disposal costs incurred by primary care organisations.
	The research report, “Evaluation of the Scale, Causes and Costs of Waste Medicines”, was published in November 2010 by the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London.

NHS: Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total accumulated deficit of NHS trusts is.

Daniel Poulter: The national health service has a “break-even duty” to ensure that its expenditure does not exceed its income taking one year with another. The aggregate value of the cumulative deficits reported by NHS trusts at the end of the 2011-12 financial year for the purposes of this duty was £738 million.
	The aggregate value of the cumulative surpluses reported by NHS trusts at the end of the 2011-12 financial year for the purposes of this duty was £761 million. This resulted in an overall net cumulative break-even position of £23 million across all NHS trusts.
	NHS foundation trusts are not subject to the same statutory break-even duty, and do not, therefore, have cumulative or historic debt.

NHS: Private Finance Initiative

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost was to NHS trusts of repaying private finance initiative debts in 2011-12;
	(2)  how much private finance initiative debt is owed by the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: The cost of private finance initiative (PFI) payments to national health service bodies (NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and primary care trusts) in 2011-12 was £1.6 billion.
	Information on the estimated annual revenue payments for the lifetime of each NHS PFI contract signed between 1997 and May 2010 can be found on the Treasury's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pfi_current_projects_list_ march_2012.xls
	These are the latest estimates collected from each Department for end of March 2012; the health sector schemes are clearly marked "Department of Health" and then "DH-Acute (i.e. Hospitals)". The initial capital cost of each scheme is shown in column R and the annual revenue payment in the columns headed “Unitary Charge Payment”.
	The Treasury table shows that for the 102 NHS PFI schemes that have been signed, the estimated total revenue payments over the lifetime of their contracts is £77.3 billion. The revenue payment figures include not just the financing costs for initial construction but also the costs of all the other services such as building maintenance and support services (cleaning, catering, portering, etc.) provided over the lifetime of the contract. The payments are subject to meeting agreed performance and quality standards and include an annual uprate assumption for inflation of 2.5%.

NHS: Procurement

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what functions are being outsourced by the NHS to India;
	(2)  what his policy is on the outsourcing of NHS back-office functions;
	(3)  which NHS trusts have outsourced back-office functions in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold information on what functions are being performed in India under contracts with individual national health service trusts and other local NHS bodies.
	The Department does not have a role in the decision making by NHS trusts to use private sector or other providers to deliver non-clinical NHS services. The Department is committed to an effective and open market in the provision of high quality non-clinical support services where such decisions deliver optimal value for money for NHS bodies.

Nurses: Vacancies

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of (a) NHS nursing vacancies and (b) expected nursing vacancies in the NHS over the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested on the current number of national health service nursing vacancies is not collected centrally. Additionally, no estimate has been made of the expected number of nurse vacancies over the next 12 months.
	It is for local employers to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to provide high quality health care for patients.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information about absence from work in the core Department, covering the number of working days and the average working days lost (AWDL), broken down by grade, for each of the last five years, is presented in the following table. This is based on data submitted to Cabinet Office as part of routine reporting.
	
		
			  Financial year 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Grade Total days AWDL Total days AWDL Total days AWDL Total days AWDL Total days AWDL 
			 Administrative Officer 1,307.7 10.4 1,377.8 10.1 1,771.1 7.4 1,138.6 9.8 964.6 8.9 
			 Executive Officer 3,833.3 9.5 3,600 9.3 4,856.3 7.6 3,204.2 7.3 2,467 6.7 
			 Higher Executive Officer 1,957 6.6 1,685.4 5.4 2,648.2 5.7 1,662.5 4.5 1,659.8 4.8 
			 Senior Executive Officer 2,049.2 4.8 2,345.6 5.4 3,139 4.4 2,518.8 4.9 2,101.2 4.3 
			 Grade 7 1,770.5 3.7 1,755 3.6 2,511.9 3.9 1,760.5 3.2 1,468.6 2.9 
			 Grade 6 689.3 2.6 673.2 2.3 1,304.3 2.9 1,226.1 3.6 587.1 1.9 
			 Senior Civil Service 495.3 1.8 505.5 1.8 673.8 1.7 618.9 2.4 282.1 1.2 
			 Total 12,102.3 5.3 11,942.5 5.1 16,904.6 4.7 12,129.6 4.7 9,530.4 4.0 
		
	
	The Department has one of the lowest rates across Whitehall for the number of average working days lost per year. For the year 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 the average working days lost for the core Department was 4.0.

Sudden Adult Death Syndrome

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to the e-petition on The Oliver King Foundation—SADS.

Anna Soubry: The Department is currently collating information so that it can provide a full response in the near future.

Visual Impairment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward a national scheme to address the optical health issues outlined in the Optical Confederation's Glaucoma Referral Refinement and Primary Eye Care Acute Referral Scheme on a national scale.

Daniel Poulter: Our view is that local health communities are best placed to decide how to develop eye care services and improve visual health in ways that reflect local needs and circumstances. Currently primary care trusts perform this role.
	From April 2013; Primary Ophthalmic Services (the NHS sight testing service and optical voucher scheme) will become the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board.
	Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will take over the commissioning of most services, including ophthalmic services in secondary care, and be able to commission eye care services in primary care over and above the NHS sight testing service.
	Given their overview of local health needs, we consider CCGs to be best placed to judge which services over and above the sight testing service should be commissioned.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of her Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available for the years preceding the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010. Between April 2010-March 2011 and April 2011-March 2012, the figures for home civil servants employed by my Department are as follows:
	
		
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 
			  Staff in the grade Average days absent 
			 AA 14 6.2 
			 AO 20 1 
			 EO 22 10.4 
			 HEO 23 22.3 
			 SEO 6 0 
			 Grade A 18 27.8 
			 SCS 6 0 
		
	
	
		
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 
			  Staff in the grade Average days absent 
			 AA 7 19.7 
			 AO 7 12.7 
			 EO 27 12.8 
			 HEO 26 1.4 
			 SEO 8 0.25 
			 Grade A 16 25.7 
			 SCS 6 0.33 
		
	
	The absence figures for the EO, HEO and A grades in both years include staff who were absent for most of this period on long term sick leave.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to her Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to her Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: For the period 1 November 2011 to 31 October 2012, the Northern Ireland Office received 280 ordinary written parliamentary questions. All of these were answered substantively. The timeframe for responses was as follows:
	(a) 264
	(b) 14
	(c) 2
	For the same period, my Department answered 103 named day parliamentary questions, of which 6 (6%) received a holding reply.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to the Government Equalities Office received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to the Government Equalities Office received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) was part of the Home Office until September 2012, when it became part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Information requested for GEO up to September 2012 is included in the response to questions 127273 and 127274 to the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Information from September 2012 onwards is included in the response to questions 127261 and 127262 to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policies on the cultivation and production of heroin and cannabis in Afghanistan since 2001.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The Secretary of State for Defence strongly supports the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who lead on UK counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan.
	We recognise the threat that narcotics pose to the stability of Afghanistan and support the Afghan Government in implementing its National Drug Control Strategy. It is difficult to assess the overall levels of progress, but together with international partners, the UK is pursuing a comprehensive approach to tackling the Afghan drugs trade.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress there has been on NATO's Smart Defence initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: NATO Defence Ministers were briefed on recent progress on NATO's Smart Defence initiative at their October 2012 meeting. There are currently 24 projects with lead nations or lead bodies identified, an increase from 22 at the time of the Chicago summit. In addition, there are another 56 possible Smart Defence proposals. Work to associate NATO's partner nations with Smart Defence has yet to begin in earnest.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made on NATO's Connected Forces initiative;
	(2)  if he will list the (a) agreed and (b) planned projects that will form part of NATO's Connected Forces initiative.

Andrew Murrison: NATO is developing the detail of the Connected Forces initiative which essentially will comprise proposals to expand education and training, increase exercises and make better use of technology. A detailed report with recommendations will be presented to Defence Ministers at the NATO Defence Ministerial on 21 and 22 February 2013 in accordance with the timelines agreed at NATO.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) agreed and (b) planned projects that will form part of NATO's Smart Defence initiative.

Andrew Murrison: The NATO list of agreed and planned projects is owned by NATO. The UK has already announced that it will lead on the Immersive Training Environments project and the Theatre Opening Capability project that form part of the Smart Defence initiative.

WALES

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Stephen Crabb: Due to technical difficulties, the Ministry of Justice (which collates Wales Office data on ill-health absences) is unable at present to provide us with this information. I am advised that those difficulties should be resolved within the next few weeks, at which time I shall write to the hon. Member, and place a copy of the letter in the House of Commons Library.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Stephen Crabb: For the period 1 November 2011 to 31 October 2012, the Wales Office received 344 ordinary written parliamentary questions. All of these were answered substantively, and are broken down as follows:
	(a): 322
	(b): 22
	(c): Nil.
	For the same period, my Department received and answered 47 named day parliamentary questions, of which two (4%) received a holding reply.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people with (a) fluctuating conditions and (b) mental ill-health have been successful in their appeal for employment and support allowance at tribunal.

Mark Hoban: Information on ESA appeal outcomes by International Classification of Diseases (2010) Condition Groups, which includes “Mental and Behavioural Disorders”, has already been published. The figures can be found in table 2 at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/ESA_Appeal_Outcomes.xls
	The background information can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/ESA_Appeal_Outcomes.pdf
	Information on people with “fluctuating conditions” is not available.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many enquiries his Department has received from employers regarding the Youth Contract wage incentive in (a) April, (b) May, (c) June, (d) July, (e) August, (f) September and (g) October 2012.

Mark Hoban: The Department monitors the number of calls received from employers interested in the Youth Contract but we do not break the information down into wage incentive or any other elements of the Youth Contract. Therefore we do not have the information requested.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent issuing wage incentives under the Youth Contract.

Mark Hoban: In most cases the wage incentives element of the Youth Contract are paid after a young person has been in work continuously for 26 weeks. The first set of Official Statistics on the wage incentive should be available from early 2013. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest audited figures for (a) correctly paid housing benefit and (b) correctly paid council tax benefit were for each local authority.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions subsidises local authorities' expenditure on housing and council tax benefits. The latest year for which we have audited expenditure is 2010-11. A table showing the amount of correctly paid housing and council tax benefits for each local authority for 2010-11 will be placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for which offences jobseeker's allowance claimants have faced sanctions since 6 May 2010.

Mark Hoban: Since May 2010, two types of sanctions applied to jobseeker's allowance claimants: fixed and variable sanctions.
	The reasons for variable sanctions can be found at:
	http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/dec_var_dec/d_indate/q_2gp/dct_gp/a_stock_r_d_indate_c_q_2gp_p_dct_ gp_adverse_apr12.html
	The reasons for fixed sanctions can be found at:
	http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/dec_fix_dec/d_indate/q_2gp/dct_gp/a_stock_r_d_indate_c_q_2gp_p_ dct_gp_adverse_apr12.html
	From 22 October 2012, a revised jobseekers' allowance sanctions regime was introduced. The regime is designed to provide greater clarity about the consequences of not meeting requirements and more robust sanctions for repeated non engagement. The requirements placed on claimants will not change but the duration of sanctions have changed.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average jobseeker's allowance payment made to claimants was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on jobseeker's allowance by weekly average amount payable are available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many participants in the Work programme have started their own business following referral to the new enterprise allowance scheme;
	(2)  how many participants in the Work programme have been referred to the new enterprise allowance scheme since its inception.

Mark Hoban: The new enterprise allowance (NEA) is not available to Work programme participants.
	The NEA helps unemployed people who want to start their own business. It is a voluntary scheme available to people aged 18 and over who are claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) from day one of their claim. Eligibility for the NEA ends once a claimant has been referred to the Work programme. However, Work programme providers are free to design and offer support to best suit individual and local needs, including self-employment support.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's response to question 7 of the Freedom of Information request 2012-3773, how much his Department would have paid out in employment benefits to claimants subject to sanctions had such sanctions not been applied.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authority staff who will be required to underpin the delivery of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: DWP is working closely with the Local Government Association, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Welsh Local Government Association, and the local government sector more widely to consider the implications of universal credit delivery on local authorities. It is right that we carefully work together with local authorities to ensure that we fully understand the implications for local authority staff of universal credit delivery. The learning from the local authority led pilots and the direct payment projects already under way, and pathfinder activity from April 2013, will contribute to our analysis. We will confirm further details as this work develops.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the impact assessment for universal credit of October 2011, what the (a) marginal deduction rates and (b) participation tax rates for universal credit recipients are for each income band of £1,000 in the income range of £1,000 to £60,000 as a result of policy decisions taken prior to 31 October 2012.

Mark Hoban: There is not one (a) marginal deduction rate and (b) participation tax rate for recipients of universal credit in each income band.
	The income of a household does not directly determine their MDR and PTR. Two households with identical income but with different circumstances could have a different MDR and PTR.
	Under universal credit, an individual earning less than their earnings disregard will have an MDR of zero. For an individual on the UC taper and not paying tax and national insurance they will face an MDR of 65%. For an individual receiving UC and paying tax and national insurance the MDR is approximately 76%.
	A PTR is a measure of the incentive to start work; it calculates the proportion of earnings kept by an individual when they move into work. The level of the PTR is affected by not only how much they earn but also by the characteristics of the household and the level of their earnings disregard.
	The following table, which was published at Budget 2012, gives examples of MDRs and PTRs for individuals with different characteristics:
	
		
			 Budget 2012: Table B.2: Illustrative participation tax rates (PTRs) and marginal deduction rates (MDRs) for example individuals 
			  2014-15 including universal credit 
			  At 10 hours At 35 hours 
			  PTR MDR PTR MDR 
			 Lone parent, one child 0 0 46 76 
			 First earner in couple, no children 24 65 56 76 
			 First earner in couple, two children 7 65 51 76 
			 Second earner in couple, no children. First earner working 10 hours 65 65 68 76 
			 Second earner in couple, two children. First earner working 10 hours 65 65 68 76 
			 Single, under 25, no children 50 65 64 76 
			 Note: Analysis assumes no council tax benefit entitlement and excludes child care costs. Further details of the assumptions underpinning the estimates in this table can be found in the Data Sources document. Source: HM Treasury estimates

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to Table 4 of the universal credit impact assessment, what the average loss of entitlement per week will be for households who work full time and only receive tax credits and will have a lower entitlement under universal credit.

Mark Hoban: The impact assessment states that in Great Britain around 1.1 million households working full-time and entitled to tax credits only will have lower entitlements under universal credit. The average loss of entitlement is estimated to be around £24 per week (2011-12 prices).
	However it is important to recognise that a package of transitional protection is being developed in order to ensure that there will be no cash losers as a direct result of the move to universal credit where circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to Table 4 of the universal credit impact assessment, how many households working full time and receiving tax credits will have a lower entitlement under universal credit in each income band of £1,000.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available at this level of detail.
	The impact assessment states that in Great Britain around 1.1 million households working full time and entitled to tax credits only will have lower entitlements under universal credit.
	However it is important to recognise that a package of transitional protection is being developed in order to ensure that there will be no cash losers as a direct result of the move to universal credit where circumstances remain the same.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reason the Government has adopted a policy of abstaining on Inter-American Development Bank loans to Argentina.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 233W.

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Government voted on the proposed September 2012 loan to Argentina from the Inter-American Development Bank; and what reports she has received on the voting patterns of the UK's major diplomatic partners on this issue.

Alan Duncan: The UK abstained at the Committee of the Whole of the Board of Executive Directors at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) for three loans to Argentina during September.
	The minutes of the Committee of the Whole, which reflect abstentions and votes against any project, are made public only after 10 years.

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on refreshments since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID has two headquarter sites based in East Kilbride and London. The amount spent via our United Kingdom contracted catering suppliers for both sites from May 2010 until the end of October 2012 was £170,162. This compares to £355,059 over the preceding two financial years from April 2008 to March 2010.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to her Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to her Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: In the 12-month period ending 2 November 2012, DFID received 957 ordinary written questions, of which 909 (95%) were answered within five sitting days. The remaining 48 questions were answered within 10 sitting days.
	In the 12-month period ending 2 November 2012, DFID received 273 Named Day, of which 248 (91%) were answered by the named day.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Papua New Guinea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of human rights in Papua New Guinea.

Hugo Swire: Papua New Guinea has constitutional protection for human rights and has ratified a range of related UN conventions. However implementation of these is hampered by lack of capacity and co-ordination within government. Recent visits by the UN Special Rapporteurs on Violence against Women and Torture raise areas of concern and recommendations for change. The UN Universal Periodic Review of Papua New Guinea's human rights took place in May 2011. At the UPR, the only recommendation not accepted by the PNG Government was to abolish the death penalty, although PNG did agree to keep this under review. Gender equality remains a key challenge for PNG, particularly domestic violence.

Papua New Guinea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote human rights in Papua New Guinea.

Hugo Swire: We co-ordinate closely with regional partners, including Australia and New Zealand, on how best to support the PNG Government in improving human rights. We have raised the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteurs and the UN Universal Periodic Review with the PNG Government and will continue to do so, as part of our regular dialogue on governance and human rights issues in particular in regards to gender based violence.
	We also work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, which has offered support to PNG both with judicial capacity building, legislation and human rights training for police; as well as reinforcing the Latimer House Principles on the separation of powers. PNG also benefits from the Commonwealth Pacific Governance Facility (CPGF) and has been participating in capacity development interventions focused on UPR preparation and follow-up implementation.
	The UK has engaged on gender issues by funding local organisations which seek to empower women in business and organisations which provide shelter and counselling to victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The number of days taken as a result of ill health, short-and long-term, certified and uncertified absences, and the average working days lost (AWDL) by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK based staff at each pay grade in each of the last five years is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009 
			 Grade Total AWDL Total AWDL 
			 A1 1,755 11 1,362 11.3 
			 A2 7,476 6.9 8,480 9.5 
			 B3 8,785 5 6,280 4.8 
			 C4 6,713 3.3 7,330 4.2 
			 C5 660 4.6 201 2.3 
			 D6 2,711 3.1 2,599 3.4 
			 D7 295 0.8 420 1.3 
			 SMS 429 1 274 0.8 
			 Unknown(1) — — — — 
			 Total 28,824 4.2 26,946 4.8 
		
	
	
		
			  1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 
			 Grade Total AWDL Total AWDL 
			 Al 964 8.6 1,378 18.2 
			 A2 5,733 7.6 4,105 5 
			 B3 5,321 4.5 5,730 4.6 
			 C4 2,879 3 3,418 3.2 
			 C5 1,524 3.7 1,712 4 
			 D6 2,139 3.2 1,698 2.4 
		
	
	
		
			 D7 631 2 917 2.7 
			 SMS 167 0.5 257 0.6 
			 Unknown(1) 186 — 214 2 
			 Total 19,544 4.1 19,429 3.7 
		
	
	
		
			 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 
			 Grade Total AWDL 
			 Al 1,012 24.4 
			 A2 5,488 7 
			 B3 5,510 4.8 
			 C4 2,774 2.6 
			 C5 1,534 3.6 
			 D6 1,231 1.8 
			 D7 339 1 
			 SMS 318 0.8 
			 Unknown(1) 156 0.9 
			 Total 18,362 3.6 
			 (1) Officers for whom grade field was not completed when absence was reported. 
		
	
	Figures prior to 1 October 2009 include FCO Services and Wilton Park both executive agencies of the FCO. Data for FCO only staff were not available prior to this date.
	The total number of working days lost through short- and long-term sick absence, certified and uncertified for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12, are published in the FCO Annual Departmental Report (HC59).

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Sickness Absence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the rate of employee absence was in her Department in each month since May 2010.

Maria Miller: This information is not held in the manner requested. However, the following table shows the proportion of days, on average, staff in each pay grade were absent as a result of ill health in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	For 2011-12 the civil service-wide sickness rate was 7.6 average working days lost.
	
		
			 Civil service pay grade 2010-11 2011-12 
			 SCS 1.7 1.2 
			 A(U) 1.9 1.3 
			 A 2.6 3.7 
			 B 3.7 4.0 
			 C 8.6 6.1 
			 D 15.1 11.2 
			 Total 4.9 4.2 
		
	
	This Department is committed to the health and welfare of its staff, helping staff to stay healthy and reducing the need for sick leave. Support is provided to staff returning from long-term sick leave, referring them to Occupational Health to advise on how best to facilitate a return to work and offering access to an Employee Assistance Programme for independent advice and support.

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to support the arts and the creative industries in areas outside London.

Edward Vaizey: Government funding for the arts is distributed through Arts Council England (ACE), the development agency for the arts in England. After extensive consultation, ACE has determined a 10 year strategy—Achieving Great Art for Everyone— setting out how it intends to support the arts, including how this will be achieved outside London. As just one example, ACE is investing £37 million in the Creative People and Places programme which focuses on parts of the country where peoples involvement in the arts is significantly below the national average.
	Government support for the creative industries is primarily channelled through the Creative Industries Council, which was established as a joint forum between the creative industries and Government to address areas where there are barriers facing the sector. Jointly chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Nicola Mendelsohn, Chair of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, the Council focuses on finding practical solutions to issues across the sector including access to finance, skills and growth across the UK’s creative industries. In the English regions Creative England was established in October 2011 with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses in every part of England outside London.
	In addition, in Budget 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the introduction of three new tax reliefs for high end TV, video games and animation, building on the success of the film tax relief.

Arts Council England

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department provided to Arts Council England in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and how much is planned to be provided in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Edward Vaizey: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Arts Council England funding (£000) 
			 2009-10 452,964 
			 2010-11 438,523 
			 2011-12 393,602 
			 2012-13 473,753 
			 2013-14 472,851 
			 2014-15 458,870

Arts: English Baccalaureate

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the mechanism by which creative subjects will be assessed within the English Baccalaureate.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), on the mechanism by which creative subjects will be assessed within the English Baccalaureate. However, our two Departments work closely together on cultural education policy. As you are aware, the subjects we have chosen for the proposed new English Baccalaureate certificates on which the Department is currently consulting, are the core academic subjects: English, mathematics, the sciences, history, geography and languages. We intend to replace the current GCSEs with these new qualifications. Other subjects—such as creative subjects—will remain valuable and pupils will continue to study them alongside that academic core, as part of a broad curriculum.

Broadband

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made towards the goal of providing superfast broadband to at least 90 per cent of premises in the UK and to provide universal access to standard broadband with a speed of at least 2Mbps in each region.

Edward Vaizey: In my capacity as Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, I can confirm that with respect to BDUK county and devolved Administration broadband projects, five have signed supplier contracts; 12 are in procurement and 26 are in pre-procurement. Provided the projects keep to the timetable, they should all complete procurement by summer 2013.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse was of the Broadband Delivery UK process to date.

Edward Vaizey: The administration budget for Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) in 2010-11 was £1 million and in 2011-12 it was £5.85 million. The administration spend from 1 April to 30 September 2012 was approximately £4.15 million.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 170W, on Broadband Delivery UK, what the total cost of the 70 external consultants has been to date.

Edward Vaizey: The total cost of external consultants (approximately 70, including interims) employed at some stage on either a full time or part time basis by Broadband Delivery UK since May 2010 and up to 30 September 2012 is approximately £9.8 million.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 170W, on Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), what the average annual cost of each consultant employed by BDUK is.

Edward Vaizey: The average day rate for external consultants (including interims) currently employed by Broadband Delivery UK is approximately £834. External consultants are employed on a range of terms including full and part-time employment over a variable number of days per year.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 170W, on Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), what the highest and lowest pro rata salaries paid to consultants working for BDUK have been.

Edward Vaizey: This information is not held in the manner requested. The only information held by Broadband Delivery UK relates to the rates paid to the consultants' employers (in the case of consultancies) or to agencies (in the case of interims), the average daily rate for which is £834. External advisers are employed on a range of terms, including full or part-time employment over a variable number of days per year.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 170W, on Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), how many full or half days staff of (a) her Department and (b) BDUK spent at local authorities.

Edward Vaizey: Staff from BDUK spend approximately 20 days per week at local authorities. The Department does not hold data on the number of days spent at local authorities by staff within the rest of the Department.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 482W, on Leveson inquiry, whether the information provided was provided under section 21(2) of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Maria Miller: Any requests made to my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), by the Leveson inquiry were made specifically to him and I am therefore unable to comment further. The inquiry does not disclose this information.

Dance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether she has made an assessment of the popularity of (a) morris and (b) maypole dancing; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether her Department has taken steps to encourage participation in (a) morris and (b) maypole dancing; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has made no specific assessment of the popularity of morris and maypole dancing. DCMS records attendance and participation in dance via its Taking Part Survey. The most recent version of which can be found at the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/4828.aspx
	Government funding for the arts is distributed through Arts Council England (ACE), the development agency for the arts in England. The Arts Council looks to support dance in England in all its forms, and use Exchequer and Lottery funding to support organisations that promote and encourage morris and maypole dancing.
	In the period 2012-15 ACE will support the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) with a grant of up to £921,779. The EFDSS acts as an advocate and lobbyist for the indigenous folk arts of England as well as an education, training and development agency providing classes and workshops for people of all ages and all abilities. They work with schools, colleges, community groups and professional artists.
	The Big Dance biennial dance celebration this year included a number of events inspired by traditional English Dance, including 'Morris and Maypole', initiated by the English National Ballet, and partner Historic Royal Palaces, this project encompassed a series of dance workshops and choreography sessions within a variety of community settings and schools.
	ACE has also provided funding through their Grants for the arts scheme to projects that have sought to encourage participation and performance of morris and traditional English dancing. These include the 'Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows', a large scale traditional English folk song and dance performance project.

Health Lottery

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the health lottery on the national lottery.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have been monitoring the impact of the health lottery on the national lottery and considering the effect this sort of scheme has, and may have, on returns for the existing national lottery good causes. We will publish the findings once we have concluded our initial assessment.

Local Broadcasting: Television

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what weighting she plans to give to considerations of plurality in awarding the new local television public service broadcaster franchises, except in cases where there is no other commercially viable option.

Edward Vaizey: As Ofcom—under the terms of the Local Digital Television Programme Services Order (2012)—is responsible for the award of local TV licences, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has no involvement in the decision process leading to the award of those licences.

Mobile Phones

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ofcom, (b) consumer organisations and (c) mobile telephone network operators on steps to promote consumer switching in the mobile telephone market.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has not had any recent discussions on this specific issue, although she held a general introductory meeting with Ofcom on 7 November 2012. It is important that consumers are able to switch mobile service providers more easily, and the process must seek to promote competition and improve consumer benefits. Ofcom is currently considering responses to its consultation on switching in relation to landlines and broadband, which is a complex area, and following completion Ofcom will also carefully consider whether switching reform is necessary in this area.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s communications review underlined the Government's desire to ensure that customers can switch easily between providers across all platforms for communications services. The Department is considering whether additional action is needed in this area.

Music: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many young people are participating in music hubs (a) nationally and (b) in each region.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) holds no such data. Music Education Hubs are run by Arts Council England (ACE) on behalf of DCMS and the Department for Education. ACE has advised that the first official data return from music hubs is not due until October 2013. The hubs started operating in September 2012, and data will be captured retrospectively.

Ofcom

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when Ofcom made its last annual report to her as required under the Office of Communications Act 2002.

Edward Vaizey: The Ofcom annual report and accounts 2011-12 were published on 10 July 2012. The report can be found using the following link:
	www.ofcom.org.uk/about/annual-reports-and-plans/annual-reports/annual-report-2011-12/

Ofcom

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of Ofcom's accountability to Parliament.

Edward Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is required under the Office of Communications Act 2002, to submit to the Secretary of State, an annual report and accounts that have been approved by the National Audit Office. These are subsequently laid before Parliament and may be scrutinised by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. The chair of Ofcom was last called to appear before the Select Committee in May 2011. While no recent assessment has been undertaken of the adequacy of these arrangements, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), is satisfied that this statutory accountability is appropriate.

Public Appointments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many appointments made to the boards of public bodies overseen by her Department have been (a) male and (b) female since May 2010.

Maria Miller: The number of new ministerial appointments and reappointments made to arm's length bodies overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) since May 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			 New appointments 
			 Reporting year Male Percentage Female Percentage 
			 2010-11 31 61 20 39 
			 2011-12 36 69 16 31 
		
	
	
		
			 Reappointments 
			 Reporting year Male Percentage Female Percentage 
			 2010-11 30 57 19 43 
			 2011-12 33 65 18 35 
		
	
	Further details of DCMS appointments are available on the DCMS website:
	http://www.culture.gOv.uk/about_us/public_appointments/1006.aspx
	Appointments and reappointments in 2009-10 were as follows:
	
		
			  Male Percentage Female Percentage 
			 New appointments 38 60 25 40 
			 Reappointments 33 68 11 32

Recordings: Equipment

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on the hire of recording equipment in the last year.

Hugh Robertson: holding answer 17 October 2012
	The Department has not spent anything on the hire of recording equipment in the last year.

Remembrance Day

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what her policy is on humanist representation at the National Remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph.

Hugh Robertson: The wreath laid by Her Majesty the Queen at the Remembrance Sunday service is presented on behalf of the nation, and is dedicated to all those who have suffered and died in war. The ceremony is organised in such a way as to represent the feelings of all those wishing to pay their respects and recognise those who fought and died for their country.

Sickness Absence

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on how many days on average staff of her Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Miller: This information is not held in the manner requested. However, the following table shows the proportion of days, on average, staff in each pay grade were absent as a result of ill health in 2011-12.
	For 2011-12, the civil service-wide sickness rate was 7.6 average working days lost.
	
		
			 Civil service pay grade Average working days lost 
			 SCS 1.2 
			 A(U) 1.3 
			 A 3.7 
			 B 4.0 
			 C 6.1 
			 D 11.2 
			 Total 4.2 
		
	
	This Department is committed to the health and welfare of its staff, helping staff to stay healthy and reducing the need for sick leave. Support is provided to staff returning from long-term sick leave, referring them to Occupational Health to advise on how best to facilitate a return to work and offering access to an Employee Assistance Programme for independent advice and support.

Departmental Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many members of staff of her Department are based in (a) London and (b) each region of England.

Edward Vaizey: All 457 full-time equivalent staff of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are based in London.

Departmental Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many full-time members of staff her Department employed in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many are expected to be employed in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

Edward Vaizey: The number of full-time staff equivalents (FTEs) employed within this Department at 31March 2010, 31 March 2011 and 31 October 2012, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent staff 
			 2010 423 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 440 
			 2012 457 
		
	
	In the last three years, the Department has recruited additional employees on fixed-term contracts, inward loans and secondments from other Departments, to work on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Their contracts ended on 31 October 2012.
	In 2010, the Department implemented a change programme, with the aims of:
	Reducing the Department's administration budget by 50% over the spending review period
	Delivering a talented, diverse and motivated work force
	Enabling the Department to prioritise its critical deliverables
	Following a restructure of senior civil service employees, three voluntary redundancy schemes between January 2011 and September 2012, and a drive to reduce non-pay costs, the Department will meet the 50% reduction committed to in 2010. This means that the Department will operate with approximately 330 FTE employees, between 1 April 2013 and 2015.

Telephone Services: Unsolicited Goods and Services

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what guidance her Department offers to people receiving marketing telephone calls despite being (a) ex-directory and (b) registered with the Telephone Preference Service.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides guidance stating that complaints of this nature should be reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This is because under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003 the ICO has responsibility for considering complaints relating to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The ICO can take formal action against those in breach of the regulations, and can issue a fine of up to £500,000. Complaints can be registered with the ICO at:
	https://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k= 134674895144

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what media or public speaking training Ministers in her Department have received since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: No Ministers have had media or public speaking training since May 2010 at cost to the Department or the public purse.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many written parliamentary questions to her Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: The Department aims to give all House of Commons ordinary written PQs a substantive reply within five working days, all House of Lords ordinary written PQs a substantive reply within 10 working days, and all named day PQs a substantive reply on the specific named day. The following tables provide the Department's performance to these targets during 30 September 2011 to 30 September 2012.
	
		
			 House of Commons 
			  Ordinary written PQs Named day PQs 
			 Answered within 5 working days 710 — 
			 Between 6 and 10 working days 115 — 
			 Over 10 working days 161 — 
			    
			 Answered by specified named day — 529 
			 Up to 5 working days late — 46 
			 Over 5 working days late — 13 
		
	
	
		
			 House of Lords 
			  Ordinary written PQs 
			 Answered within 10 working days 123 
			 Over 10 working days 22 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to her Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: Between November 2011 and October 2012, 623 named day written parliamentary questions were received by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Holding responses (which can be issued only in respect of named day questions) were sent on 67 occasions, which represents approximately 10.8%.

JUSTICE

Communications Act 2003

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there were in each region under section 127 of the Digital Communications Act 2003 in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of convictions made in each region under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 in each of the last five years can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants found guilty at all courts under the Communications Act 2003 offences, by region, England and Wales, 2007-11(1,2) 
			 Total guilty 
			 Statute Offence description Region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Communications Act 2003, s 127 Sending or causing sending of grossly offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing or false message/matter by electronic communications network London 37 63 83 122 132 
			   North West 67 74 119 175 194 
			   North East 29 28 46 75 84 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 25 45 63 99 86 
			   East Midlands 29 68 52 67 88 
			   West Midlands 65 80 80 101 112 
			   East of England 58 83 122 136 156 
			   South East 96 127 154 212 227 
			   South West 57 79 85 124 112 
			   Wales 35 46 69 75 95 
			   Total 498 693 873 1,186 1,286 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Courts: Interpreters

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 681W, on courts: interpreters, whether the figure for complaints includes those requests which were not completed by Advanced Language Solutions due to an interpreter not being available to attend the court or other venue at the required time;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of disruption of court functions due to unfilled bookings.

Helen Grant: The published statistics relate to completed requests between 30 January and 31 August 2012, and include requests where ALS was not able to send an interpreter or where an interpreter did not attend. The complaints figures relate to completed requests, where a complaint was recorded. Not every instance of a failure to supply to an interpreter results in a complaint, and this is reflected in the published statistics.
	The estimated cost for all agencies of an ineffective trial in the magistrates court is around £650 and the Crown court is £1,500 for all agencies. Comparing the number of ineffective trials in the criminal courts due to the availability of an interpreter the first quarter of 2011 to the same period in 2012, the additional costs have been estimated to be approximately £60,000. It is not possible to quantify costs for the disruption of non-trial hearings (e.g. case management hearings) due to interpreter availability.

Prisoners' Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to review prisoners' entitlement to privileges.

Jeremy Wright: I want to ensure that the public have confidence in the prison system. It is crucial that they are assured that any privileges earned in prison are gained through hard work and appropriate behaviour. In light of this, I have asked officials to conduct a review of the policy around the incentives and earned privileges scheme for prisoners. There maybe important operational reasons for aspects of this policy but I want to be clear that these incentives are pitched at the right level and that they have credibility with the public.

Sexual Offences: Sentencing

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the evidential basis was for his statement that changing a second 10 year sentence for a serious sexual offence to a life sentence would act as a deterrent to potential offenders.

Jeremy Wright: We will monitor the impacts of these provisions once they have been implemented. These provisions, and the other provisions in the LASPO Act relating to dangerous offenders, will increase the availability of life sentences for the most serious sexual and violent offenders, and ensure that other serious offenders spend long periods in custody and serve long licence periods. The primary purpose of these provisions is to effectively manage risk and uphold public protection arrangements.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: During September 2012, a technical error was identified in the Ministry of Justice sick absence report. As a result, the quarterly sick absence data from June 2011 onwards are being reworked. The data are currently being finalised and validated.
	I expect the revised data to be available by 23 November 2012. I shall then write to the hon. Member with the information and place a copy of the letter in the House of Commons Library.

Trespass

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress he has made in introducing greater protection for householders from intruders.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State recently outlined plans to bring forward changes to the law to give householders greater protection when they defend themselves against intruders.
	The current law recognises that the circumstances in which force is used in self-defence should be taken into account, but it also makes clear that even in extreme circumstances it will always be unlawful to use force that was disproportionate in the circumstances.
	We intend to change this position so that it can be reasonable for householders to use disproportionate force to defend themselves and others. Force which is grossly disproportionate will still not be permitted. We will bring forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
	A new offence of squatting in a residential building came into force on 1 September 2012 and applies throughout England and Wales. The offence was created by section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. We introduced the new squatting offence in response to public concern about the harm squatters can cause when they occupy other peoples' property.

Victim Support Schemes

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the financial and emotional support available to victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Government are committed to providing the best possible support for victims of crime both to overcome the consequences of crime and to participate fully in the criminal justice process.
	Compensation is available are victims of violent crime through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. This is a demand-led scheme which costs the Government over £200 million each year. A revised scheme is currently being considered by Parliament.
	The voluntary sector plays a key role in the provision of emotional support for victims and witnesses of crime. Annual funding by central Government to the voluntary sector for victims’ services currently stands at around £66 million. Victim Support has been awarded core funding of around £38 million a year since 2007-08. Funding is also distributed to support a range of specialist services including rape support centres, services for adult victims of human trafficking and homicide support.
	On 2 July the Government announced in their response to the consultation ‘Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses’ that it would move to a model of national and local commissioning with police and crime commissioners (PCCs) responsible for commissioning the bulk of victims' services in their local area.

Young Offenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young people have (a) entered the youth justice system, (b) left custody and (c) been resettled following a custodial sentence in the last year.

Jeremy Wright: The number of young people (aged 10 to 17) sentenced at court in 2011-12 was 59,335 (Criminal Justice Statistics):
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/criminal-justice/criminal-justice-statistics
	In 2010-11, 8,051 custodial episodes (this includes custodial remand and sentenced episodes) ended for young people aged 10 to 17. These are the latest figures available.
	The Youth Justice Board (YJB) counts the number of individual custodial episodes and not the number of individual young people leaving custody. An episode refers to a period a young person has spent in custody and it is possible that one young person can start more than one custodial episode at different points of each year for different offences or for a change in the legal basis for detention, such as remand to sentence.
	All young people leaving custody should receive resettlement support from youth offending teams (YOTs) according to their individual resettlement needs.
	These data are from the YJB's secure accommodation clearing house system (SACHS) database and refer to secure training centres (STCs), secure children's homes (SCHs), and under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs).
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

Young Offenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence is for young people who entered the youth justice system in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: Average custodial sentence length in months given at all courts to juveniles (those aged 10 to 17) for all offences, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Average custodial sentence length (months)(1) given at all courts to juveniles for all offences, England and Wales, 2008-11(2,3) 
			  2007 2008(4) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Juveniles (10 to 17-year-olds) 10.3 11.4 11.1 11.5 12.0 
			 (1) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Youth Offending Teams

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent posts there were in each youth offending team in (a) May 2010, (b) May 2011 and (c) the latest date for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Figures on the number of people recorded as working for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) in some capacity are collected centrally for the month of June each year. The table shows the breakdown by staff type and YOT as at 30 June 2010. These figures include part-time workers, sessional staff, trainees, and volunteers. Measures of full-time equivalent staff are not collected centrally. Total YOT workforce figures for 30 June 2011 will be available in the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics, which will be published on 31 January 2013.
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/youth-justice/statistics
	Figures are taken from YOT data submitted to the Youth Justice Board's (YJB) Youth Justice Management Information System (YJMIS) as at 30 June for the relevant year.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Staff type by Youth Offending Team as at 30 June 2010 
			  Full time workers Part time workers Sessional staff Trainees Volunteers 
			 Barking and Dagenham 41 1 8 1 14 
			 Barnet 26 4 0 0 20 
			 Barnsley 47 12 18 1 19 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 22 11 5 0 32 
			 Bedfordshire 57 7 29 2 19 
			 Bexley 17 9 0 0 26 
			 Birmingham 231 53 72 0 195 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 29 6 8 0 10 
			 Blackpool 33 3 12 0 41 
			 Blaenau, Gwent and Caerphilly 47 8 0 0 93 
			 Bolton 35 6 0 0 0 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 23 9 12 0 16 
		
	
	
		
			 Bracknell Forest 12 4 3 0 27 
			 Bradford 64 13 0 0 103 
			 Brent 44 4 21 1 43 
			 Bridgend 29 2 11 0 16 
			 Brighton and Hove 23 16 4 0 30 
			 Bristol 74 23 30 0 63 
			 Bromley 32 5 12 1 33 
			 Buckinghamshire 35 13 11 0 15 
			 Bury 32 9 11 0 35 
			 Calderdale 43 12 13 0 60 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 13 23 0 36 
			 Camden 49 3 0 2 43 
			 Cardiff 57 13 8 0 0 
			 Carmarthenshire 19 18 0 0 62 
			 Ceredigion 17 8 7 0 8 
			 Cheshire 66 23 0 1 61 
			 Conwy and Denbighshire 38 0 5 0 13 
			 Cornwall 37 7 21 0 73 
			 Coventry 70 16 22 1 54 
			 Croydon 61 14 38 0 47 
			 Cumbria 57 21 6 4 71 
			 Darlington 29 8 1 0 26 
			 Derby 40 11 16 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 74 24 31 1 125 
			 Devon 58 36 3 0 109 
			 Doncaster 66 9 2 0 49 
			 Dorset 50 26 20 0 28 
			 Dudley 62 9 15 0 27 
			 Durham 119 29 0 0 58 
			 Ealing 39 4 7 0 19 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 32 6 13 2 20 
			 East Sussex 60 14 3 0 74 
			 Enfield 52 7 1 0 49 
			 Essex 110 34 1 0 82 
			 Flintshire 26 2 15 2 23 
			 Gateshead 64 14 2 0 26 
			 Gloucestershire 76 21 4 0 74 
			 Greenwich 28 13 0 0 0 
			 Gwynedd Mon 29 5 15 1 18 
			 Hackney 104 7 0 2 0 
			 Halton and Warrington 37 15 1 0 33 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 39 1 0 2 31 
			 Haringey 67 9 0 3 41 
			 Harrow 27 13 2 0 56 
			 Hartlepool 35 0 6 1 15 
			 Havering 22 10 6 0 21 
			 Hertfordshire 79 28 29 2 30 
			 Hillingdon 32 1 15 0 17 
			 Hounslow 29 16 19 0 19 
			 Islington 51 7 1 2 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 28 3 0 2 18 
			 Kent 150 22 46 0 98 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 58 10 5 0 11 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 14 4 6 0 17 
			 Kirklees 79 12 23 2 104 
			 Knowsley 42 14 11 0 25 
			 Lambeth 64 3 0 1 28 
			 Lancashire 127 30 22 17 44 
			 Leeds 117 35 2 4 104 
			 Leicester City 84 9 13 2 95 
			 Leicestershire 91 54 0 0 235 
			 Lewisham 59 5 6 0 41 
			 Lincolnshire 62 15 14 0 50 
			 Liverpool 127 9 32 1 21 
			 Luton 49 27 7 1 36 
		
	
	
		
			 Manchester 113 8 0 0 102 
			 Medway 27 16 0 0 28 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 23 2 0 0 21 
			 Merton 26 10 13 1 37 
			 Milton Keynes 32 16 3 0 24 
			 Monmouthshire and Torfaen 27 12 43 0 20 
			 Neath Port Talbot 33 2 4 2 48 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 80 12 17 0 43 
			 Newham 63 1 0 1 26 
			 Newport 36 6 8 0 27 
			 Norfolk 102 15 5 0 58 
			 North East Lincolnshire 36 2 0 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 24 7 0 2 0 
			 North Somerset 32 7 4 0 38 
			 North Tyneside 24 6 10 0 27 
			 North Yorkshire 73 41 12 0 80 
			 Northamptonshire 91 29 15 2 79 
			 Northumberland 59 17 2 1 54 
			 Nottingham 69 11 4 3 18 
			 Nottinghamshire 131 31 30 1 54 
			 Oldham 35 1 0 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire 78 30 26 1 48 
			 Pembrokeshire 19 7 3 0 34 
			 Peterborough 35 14 8 0 54 
			 Plymouth 55 4 0 0 73 
			 Powys 18 21 0 1 18 
			 Reading 21 6 0 1 32 
			 Redbridge 44 11 16 0 92 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 62 9 4 0 40 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 11 8 0 0 24 
			 Rochdale 59 7 14 0 21 
			 Rotherham 46 11 0 0 21 
			 Salford 52 4 0 0 49 
			 Sandwell 96 10 13 1 23 
			 Sefton 39 17 10 0 38 
			 Sheffield 120 26 18 3 127 
			 Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin 53 11 2 0 65 
			 Slough 29 1 2 0 0 
			 Solihull 29 6 1 1 25 
			 Somerset 37 26 4 0 125 
			 South Gloucestershire 22 0 4 0 43 
			 South Tees 76 9 9 0 22 
			 South Tyneside 35 5 17 0 44 
			 Southend-on-Sea 51 10 0 0 46 
			 Southwark 105 9 2 0 123 
			 St. Helens 42 8 23 0 21 
			 Staffordshire 100 32 0 1 63 
			 Stockport 42 9 24 0 13 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 31 7 9 0 29 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 68 14 5 0 121 
			 Suffolk 80 21 4 0 66 
			 Sunderland 80 11 76 1 32 
			 Surrey 70 22 47 12 71 
			 Sutton 21 10 2 0 34 
			 Swansea 57 15 3 13 31 
			 Swindon 24 12 0 1 68 
			 Tameside 30 11 7 2 30 
			 Thurrock 19 4 5 0 34 
			 Torbay 22 10 1 2 42 
			 Tower Hamlets and City of London 62 7 7 1 79 
			 Trafford 65 16 21 1 41 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 23 6 19 0 29 
			 Wakefield 55 10 0 0 52 
			 Walsall 50 4 12 0 28 
			 Waltham Forest 43 2 4 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Wandsworth 31 15 8 2 35 
			 Warwickshire 60 6 26 2 42 
			 Wessex 197 48 0 0 170 
			 West Berkshire 13 11 0 0 32 
			 West Sussex 62 26 31 1 100 
			 Westminster 27 6 0 0 0 
			 Wigan 61 14 12 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 41 22 4 2 112 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 9 4 0 0 35 
			 Wirral 64 4 15 0 57 
			 Wokingham 12 7 0 0 13 
			 Wolverhampton 61 8 3 0 10 
			 Worcestershire and Herefordshire 69 32 42 0 43 
			 Wrexham 27 2 3 1 39 
			 York 18 14 8 0 35 
			 Total 8,261 1,961 1,569 125 6,953 
			 Notes: 1. Figures provided are taken from YOT data submitted to the Youth Justice Board’s (YJB) Youth Justice Management Information System (YJMIS). 2. The data refers to staffing levels as at 30 June 2010. 3. These figures include part-time workers, sessional staff, trainees, and volunteers and are not measures of the full-time equivalent workforce. 4. There were 157 YOTs as at 30 June 2010. 5. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.